Titania and The Hunter
by Master Attlon
Summary: Born as a human. Treated as a demon. Gathered as a slave. Viewed as a leader. Traveled as a Mage. Grew as a Legend. The journey and life of 'Shadow Hunter', Naruto Uzumaki
1. Demon Child Origins

**Titania and the Hunter**

Chapter 1: Demon Child Origins

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto or Fairy Tail. They are owned by Masashi Kishimoto and Hiro Mashima respectively. Please support the official release.

"Talking/_Thinking'_

Attack

"**Demon Talking/ ****_Thinking_**'

**########Hunter########**

'Drip, drip, drip'.

That is the sound that he has come to know as a constant factor. The only thing in his short life that never changes for the worse. That always stayed the same.

Every day, coming back to this small, damp cell. After every mission or session the masked men took him to. If that was appropriate.

He had guessed that he had been alive for about three years. But he only really remembered what had happened over the last year. And it was a living hell.

Whenever he was out of his cell, he knew that it was time for a 'mission'. Thrown out to the strange other men on the field, covered in rags and stains, he knew what happened next like a ritual. He would feel a strange, horrible pain spread out through his whole body. Causing him to scream out, hoping that it would stop. Then the burning sensation would move through his body, momentarily increasing the pain. And then, it all went black.

When he would wake up, he would always be back in his cell. But there were new rips and stains on his clothes. What did the masked men call this stuff again? Blood? Was that it?

Every time he came to, his body was in pain and there were wounds all over his body. But after a few minutes, they would be gone. What makes them leave? Do even his wounds run away from him? He must not be very liked, because all the masked men yell and beat him when he doesn't respond.

Over all this time, he had gained some knowledge. He would repeat the words and sentences that the men he would meet say. Like 'Fuck' or 'Shit', or 'P-Please god. No'.

And when he was hungry, then men would bring food and throw it to the floor in front of him. But he had to get it fast, or else the rats would take it or the water would ruin it. And when he was thirsty, he would lick up the water that was dripping from the ceiling.

He would lay on the floor, not reacting, not moving to anything that passed by his cell. The men's shadows would roll over him, illuminated by the small torches on the walls. And would talk about how he would be used for another mission.

His cell opened up and two masked men in grey armor and metal arm guards picked him up. They grabbed his arms and dragged him along.

"Danzō-sama told us to bring the demon for another execution." The man on his right told his opposite.

"But it is just another captured Jōnin, we can handle these ourselves. We don't need to bring this thing with us. Why does Danzō-sama always use this monster to kill those we capture?" The left man asked, voicing his curiosity.

"He wishes to use as many opportunities to control it as he can. And he said that he 'doesn't want any evidence of struggle'." As they came closer to a door, they left him there on his feet. Then they disappeared in a rain of leaves.

Monster, demon, that thing, and it. That was what they called him every time he was brought to the door or let outside. But despite all those names, that wasn't what he was called. What was he really called?

Oh, right. Naruto. Naruto Uzumaki was his name.

His name, his life, his loneliness was all he had. This red stuff, the rats, and the men in masks were all he knew. That. And the water that dripped from the walls.

'Drip, drip, drip'.

**########Hunter########**

He stood with a cane in his hand. One wrapped with bandages, the other free from its sleeve. He was wearing a black and grey robe. That covered his right arm and went down to his feet. The right side of his face was covered him bandages that wrapped all around his forehead. And on his wrinkled chin was an x-shaped scar.

He stood on a leveled stand, which circled over a small training field they had in Root. Covered in uprooted dirt and grass, with two doors on parallel walls. It was used for new recruits and trainees, to test their abilities in ninjutsu, taijutsu, and genjutsu. It was leveled so that more experience ninja, and elders can look down and see the new recruits' efforts.

But lately, over the last year, it had not been used to train new meat. They were brought out into the woods, or trained in the field. Instead, this place was used to gain any last Intel captured spies had before they were silenced. In his experience, people in their last moments tend to reveal everything they can to survive.

Lately, more and more foreign ninja have appeared in the village. Some would be coming from Kumogakure. And others would come from Kirigakure. But he had found no insurgents from Sunagakure. They had to have all their forces in the village, lest their Jinchūriki lose his temper and start a massacre.

It had appeared that each hidden village was sending a team of ninja to infiltrate the land. It had started when the Fourth Mizukage sent a team to check for weak points in the security of the village. There was somethng wrong with that boy. He was the Jinchūriki of the Sanbi, and lately something was holding the state of the village like it was a yo-yo. Sending that crazed shark man to kill his team. So there was no evidence. That was the last resort in a situation like that, and the whole team was still capable of fighting. Like his decisions he was making were not his own.

Then a team from Kumo was sent to charge and attack any ninja they could find. Of course, lighting village ninja were never very subtle. They always preferred to attack than to sneak. Perhaps they were only ninja because of the ninjutsu they practiced. The only times he remembered Kumo sneaking around was the Hyūga incident only a few weeks ago. And the incident with the Jinchūriki girl almost twenty years ago. These were both attempts to increase their military and strategic abilities for the better. It wasn't enough that they had Raikage that can take down armies. Or the most attuned Jinchūriki out of all the Elemental Nations.

Now Iwagakure was joining in the fray. Send a team to discover Intel of the noble families, and the Jinchūriki. Danzō never understood the methods of that Ōnoki. He would always watch the chaos from the outside, never directly joining the battle. Just let his men do their job and never interfered. Which he should have, with the growing rumors of a blond terrorist blowing up buildings for the hell of it. Always using explosive clay and yelling out 'Katsu'. He would never allow the people of Konoha to revolt or betray him like that.

And he had a great plan for any ninja or civilian that was against him. He had taken the Jinchūriki boy into his ranks and made him a weapon. Due to the boy being no more than a toddler, he couldn't expect any conscious contact or agreement with the fox demon. So instead, the members of Roots' research team came up with a solution. At the discovery that the demon's chakra activates at the pain the boy experiences. If they could make a seal that caused agonizing pain to go through the boy's body, and control him through that pain, they had a walking weapon in their hands.

It took a few tries to get the fox's chakra moving, but when the boy was covered in the vile energy, it proved to work. The first time the cloak appeared, the boy dove at him through pure instinct. Danzō only raised his fingers in a seal and the boy stopped and screamed in pain. When he did, a kanji appeared on his stomach, at the center of the seal. The boy would not attack anyone Danzō did not see fit to kill. And when he was done, he would lower his hand and the boy would stop. The energy would dissipate and then he would fall unconscious. It was useful to tie up loose ends when you were tired of doing the work.

An Anbu ninja appeared behind Danzō, kneeling before his master. "Danzō-sama, they are both ready for you. Should we let them out?" The masked ninja asked his leader.

'_Ah, speaking of tying up loose ends.'_

**########Hunter########**

"Yes, let the fool out first. Keep Naruto-kun in there, I wish to see if we can find any answers first." The robed ninja elder said to the younger man. The Anbu nodded and made a motion with his hand. Then one door opened in the area beneath them, and a man was thrown out.

He appeared beaten and battered, tortured for any information that he had. But like a true jōnin ninja, he kept his mouth shut. Not for his village, but for the stood up and looked around, noticing that several new ninja had appeared around the clearing.

The man was dressed in a red outfit with a brown flak jacket. Around his head was a standard forehead protector of the ninja villages. Etched into the metal was the image of dented rocks overlapping. This marked him as an Iwa-ninja. His weapon pack on his leg was gone, taken when he was found out. Sandy-brown hair was the only pronouncing factor this man had.

The man looked up at those surrounding him and yelled. "Where are we, you fuckers? What am I doing here?"

The Robed man tapped his cane on the floor, causing an echo that brought only silence. He looked down at the Iwa-ninja with narrowed eyes. "You have infiltrated our land and killed our men. You have refused to give us the reason why you are here. We will give you one last chance to tell us what we want to know. Who sent you?" The robed man finished as he lowered his tone, anger showing in his voice.

The Iwa-nin scoffed at the elder man. "Fool, you think I will talk. Come on; send down all your men. I'll kill them all!" The brown haired man said as he stood in a defensive stance.

Danzō looked at the young man, then turned his head and gave a nod at the ninja.

The Anbu ninja appeared in the arena, opposite the foreign ninja. The intruder changed his stance to follow the new arrival. But before they could start fighting, the Konoha Anbu opened the door behind him and shunshined away.

The insurgent only looked puzzled, like he was expecting more. Was he supposed to leave through there? Are they letting him go?

Just as he was about to question their motives, a presence made itself known. Expecting an animal or enemy ninja to appear, he did not expect a boy to come into the light.

The boy in question was small, possibly only 3 or 4, and blond. His hair was unruly, and unkempt. His arms and legs were thin, like bones with skin. His stomach and cheeks were coming in, showing he was malnourished. But on each cheek were three scars-like whiskers, defining his face. He wore torn clothe and rags. Remnants of a shirt and pants he wore. He wore worn out sandals, dyed dark red, like blood.

But his most defining characteristic was his empty, blue eyes. Like pools of water, but dirtied and unclear. Faded eyes that conveyed no emotions, no life.

If he was not standing on his feet, he would have been mistaken for a corpse.

The boy lifted his head, to see the new man standing before him. The man cringed when he saw his eyes, like they were looking into his soul.

"You..." The boy said in a dried, tiny voice. Tilting his head, the boy continued to look at the man. "You...new...die?"

**########Hunter########**

Danzō stared down as the two meet face to face. A faint smile appeared on his scarred face.

Now, it was time to show what the weapon could do.

He held up his left hand. Brought it into a half-tiger, and pumped it with chakra.

"Grah!" The little boy yelled in agonizing pain, falling to his knees. The Iwa-nin looked in sheer fright at what was happening to the child. His haired was changing, becoming spikier and unruly. His whiskers becoming rougher and more scar like. His nails grew. They dug into his head as he held it in pain.

Through the rags, the Iwa-nin saw a pattern appear on his stomach. A sun like formation made of runes and kanji phasing on to his stomach. And in the center on the formation was the kanji for control. The kanji used by Danzō to make him his own personal play toy.

The boy fell to his hands and knees, gasping for breath. He lifted his head towards the man, revealing crimson eyes and slit pupils. They gave him the appearance of a human-like fox.

The ninja shivered in fear. This was what the red cloud had sent him to find. The location and identity of the Jinchūriki of the Kyūbi was his mission. Given to his team by the men of the red cloud. If they could find its location, they would be given high position in the new world.

They had expected a noble of Konoha, with security that made the Daimyō green with envy. But instead, it was just a broken child hidden in the shadows.

The possessed boy dived at the man, aiming for his vitals. The ninja evaded and jumped behind the demon. The boy turned around and went for a second attempt. He older man brought his hands down and screamed his technique, "Earth Style: Pierced Hell Spike Yard!"

Every point in front of him was covered in spikes. The boy, mid-jump, was stabbed in his stomach. He hanged there, limb, as blood flowed down the spike.

The ninja smirked then laughed. He had killed Konoha's secret weapon. Now this village was nothing but a sitting duck. He turned around, prepared to kill the robed man above him, but stopped when he felt a sensation in his chest.

He looked down to see a clawed hand stabbed through his chest. He turned his head, blood pooling out of his mouth in the process. Behind him was the previously believed dead boy, blood leaking from his stomach. He looked angry, like his rage was barely under control.

**"Grrrrraaaaaaahhhhhhhhh!"** He ripped his hand out sideways of the man chest. Leaving a giant orifice and line through his chest. Blood jetted out of the wound and fell to his knees, the man dying instantly. The blood made a puddle that stained the boy's feet and sandals.

The boy brought in deep breaths, blood still coming out of him. Danzō smiled at his subjects result. He brought his hands down and stopped the flow of chakra.

**"Gaa**aaah!" The vile energy dissipated from the boy's body, causing him to pass out in the blood. The elder nodded his head towards his subordinates and they followed his order. One Anbu grabbed the boy and lifted him up. Another taking the new corpse to add to the pile.

The gathered ninja dispersed, the demonstration finished, the show was done.

**########Hunter########**

Another ninja, very young in comparison, appeared in a kneeling position behind Danzō. "Danzō-sama, should we take Naruto to the medics? If we leave that wound to be, he may die?" The man sounding worried for the poor boy.

"No," Danzō said with a voice filled with authority. "We do not need to worry about Naruto-kun's medical state. It will take care of itself."

Danzō walked past the kneeling young man. "Our concerns rest with finding the reason all these intrusions are happening. Every major village is sending their forces to-"

"Sir if we don't heal him, he may die." The masked man stood up to address the elder. But as he turned around, the elder was leaking killer intent like it was air.

"No, he will not. Those are not the first injuries he has suffered, and they will not be his last. His injuries are taken care of by the fox; it will not let its container die." The elder turned back around. "That boy has proved more than amazing in the field. He has killed every insurgent team we have intercepted. His presence has fortified itself as a horrifying force in the world. We have even stopped the ideas of an Uchiha rebellion."

"But sir, he is only a boy. There has to be a better solution for our power struggles. Naruto does not have to be that solution." The masked man tried to reason with the wrapped man. _'Anything'_.

"We are ninja, lad. We will use any and all methods to survive and keep our people alive. Even if we have to use our young to thrive." Danzō started to walk away. "I will do anything so Konoha will be happy."

The masked man looked down. "Oh by the way," Danzō turned his head to address the young man, "what is your name? You don't call him monster or demon, so he must be close to you."

The masked man looked up at the elder. He brought his hand up and took his mask off his face. It revealed a young man with gravity-defying grey hair. His lower face was covered by a face mask, and his left eye with a vertical scar. His left eye was different from his other, red with three tomoe circling around the pupil.

"My name is Kakashi Hatake, Danzō-sama. Sandaime-sama asked me to join Root, saying that my skills were vital. And I was interested in the skills and concepts you use." This was both a truth and a lie. He was here for one specific reason. Find a way to save Naruto.

"Oh. Copy-Ninja Kakashi-kun. It is an honor to have you in our humble ranks."

**########Hunter########**

Naruto was on the floor of his cell, close to losing consciousness. His stomach hole was slowly closing, cutting of the free blood flow. His eyes became heavy and he could not stay awake. And he prepared for his long passing.

But almost instantaneously, he found that he was no longer in his cell. He was lying in a foot tall flood of water. The walls were further across and the bars were no longer there. Pipes spread and twisted together on the wall, leading to something.

Naruto lifted himself up, looking from his left and right to find something.

He got to his feet and started to walk in one direction. He had walked for what had seemed like hours. Noticing that his feet were not wet when he lifted them out of the water. He could only wonder where he was.

Then, after sometime, he finally reached something. Bars that raised all the way to the ceiling, and conjoined to the wall. He walked to the bars and went to touch them, and then...

**"GGGGGRRRRRRRRRRAAAAAAAAAAAAA HHHHHHHHHHH!"**

The boy fell to his bottom in surprise. Wondering what animal had caused the bestial roar. He then looked up in surprise at what was behind the bars.

Behind the bars was a fox of titanic size. Its fur orange-red and was lying on its belly. On the kitsune's back was 9 flailing, massive tails that caused the water to spread.

The creature bared its teeth and gums at the three year-old boy. A growl echoed out through the hall.

**"**Human, what are you doing here?" The fox looked at the boy, flaring its killer intent at him. **"If you do not open this cage now I WILL DESTROY YOU WITH MY OWN HANDS!"** The fox exclaimed in fury and anger.

"Who...be...you...thing?" The boy looked at the fox with his lifeless eyes. He was unaffected by the its horrifying power.

**"ME, I AM THE GREAT KYŪBI-SAMA. I AM THE DEMON WHO CRUSHES MOUNTAINS AND LEVELS SEAS WITH THE MOVEMENT OF MY TAILS."** The fox yelled, pride brimming in its voice.

The boy only stared at the fox, his mouth open in a small, comedic fashion. As if he was as amazed as he could be looking at the creature in front of him.

"Kyūbi-sama...what...are...doing...here? Where...this...is?" He said in a disjointed, grammatically incorrect fashion. He had hoped that the fox could shine some light on the subject.

**"Boy, address me as that always. I am your superior in every way, so listen closely."** The fox lowered itself to almost eye level with the boy. **"You have been using my chakra almost every day for what those men want. And although I have no quarrel with the killings, you have no right to use my power for these pathetic humans needs."**

"Cat-tra?" The boy asked, tilting his head I confusion.

**"Uh, no, I said chakra."**

"Oh...sorry. I...heard...bad."

**"Why do you talk like that child. Do you not know how to speak?"**

"Sorry...Kyūbi-sama. I...learn...from...masks."

The fox narrowed his eyes. **_'This boy learned from his captors. So he doesn't know anything else'_**. The fox wondered if he could teach this child to rule for his sake. And the best way to teach was through fear. Then he decided to plant a threat into the boy's head. **"Child, you should run, no one can stand before my greatness for too long. Before they are driven to madness or I kill them. So watch your step, or you may die."** The fox ended his speech with a devilish smirk.

The boy only stared at the fox in wonder. Then he walked through the bars and up to the fox's paws. The fox was shocked at the boy's actions. He looked down and saw the boy just stare back at him. And then saw it for the first time.

The lifelessness that was held in his eyes. Like a dead soul in a moving body. That was not the look the child of Kushina and Minato should have.

He could not believe that the humans had done this to a child. "**Why do you not run? I am evil incarnate, the demon of Konoha, I can kill you in an instant." **He expected the child to come to his senses and run.

But the child only stared, and after several long moments, answered. "If...you...kill...then...you...would...when...came." The fox was shocked to a new level at the nerve this child had shown to him. He turned in his cage and faced away from the child.

**"Leave boy, I feel merciful. Run now, before I slaughter you."** The boy only stood for a few moments before running out of the bars. He turned around and bowed.

"Goodbye...Kyūbi-sama. See...soon...you?"

**"Yes, I will bring you back to teach you how to fucking talk like a human.**" As the child was about to run, he said one last thing. **"Don't call me Kyūbi-sama, that won't do for now. Kyūbi will do."**

**########Hunter########**

Hiruzen stood, overlooking all of Konoha. This was such a peaceful village, despite all the turmoil around the world. But it was not the result if his work. Could he even call himself the Hokage.

He was a puppet, a shadow of his former self. The night Minato died, he had been prepared to take that child under his care. But the council had decided against keeping the child safe.

In their eyes, he was nothing more than the fox that attacked. He had hoped that he could appeal to the other elders of the village, but no such fortune. Homura and Koharu had both agreed that he should be placed in more capable hands.

And in came Danzō.

His old friend had told the council members of his plan to use Naruto as a weapon. Hiruzen was against it, saying that it was inhumane. But the council had won, even bringing in the Daimyo for the decision.

And as such, the village had prospered. No one would challenge a super power that had a monster at their fingertips. The other countries Jinchūriki never complied with the wishes of the people. So they took the choice of free will from the boy.

It had horrified him that he just let this be. He felt like a puppet, that Danzō used to keep up appearances.

Ah, he just wished for simple times. When children could laugh, and play all together. But no matter the leader, the need for fighting and power grabbing was just too strong.

He wished he could go the way Jiraiya and Minato had with their ideals. That we should aim for no killing, and peace between the people.

But no matter how many times he thought if it, he could only imagine a war coming forth.

Danzō had kept sending the bodies as a message to their respective villages. The Kages would storm in anger, saying they never sent their men to infiltrate. That they had crossed the borders. And they were killing their soldiers. And all this hatred had led to a gridlock between the villages.

They were waiting for war; they only had to wait for the first shot to be made.

...

...

...

Hiruzen looked back to his younger days. Being taught by the Shodai and Nidaime hokages. The fun and hope he had experienced back then.

But when the Nidaime had lost his life to the Gin & Kin brothers of Kumo, he remembered what the Shodai did next.

He had spent years of time, working on a new Jutsu. A genius ninja and leader, nothing was impossible for this man. He had said that, _'if there is no peace in this world, then maybe in another.'_ It was a fool's dream, even for someone like Hashirama.

To travel to different dimensions, and create new societies. Hiruzen believed that his sensei was only living out his last days in wonder and fantasy. Until one day, they worked, and a portal was opened.

Only the top class of Konoha could even be allowed to know this secret. When enough time had passed for perpetration, an expedition had been formed. Hashirama led, being the strongest of the bunch.

His daughter followed him into the new world. Asking that Hiruzen take care of Tsunade and Nawaki while she was gone. Along with them, they brought skilled ninja, scientists, and medics to accompany in case something went wrong.

After 1 week, they had no Intel from the expedition except for 1 word they sent back.

They had been presumed KIA, and any knowledge of the portal Jutsu was destroyed.

Each day, Hiruzen wondered what was on the other side. We're there enemies they could not defeat? Or was life so good, that they had left the nations for a new utopia.

Was it better than the situations playing out in front of him now?

He would go back at times, and look at the message sent back to them through the Jutsu:

_FIORE_

**########Hunter########**

_**Done**_

_**Okay, that was a long build up for not a lot of pay off. But that was just how I saw this chapter play out. As I was writing, I realized how long this was and just had to cut off at some point.**_

_**I will try to release the second chapter quickly. It will end all the ninja business before we start the actual Fairy Tail journey.**_

_**The pairing will be NarutoxErza... Yeah, I know, most used pairing in this section. But damn it all, I just love the idea of these two together.**_

_**I will probably add lemons and Omakes into the story, but further in. Along with polls on ideas and paths I should take further down the road.**_

_**Okay, I hope this goes well, because this idea has been haunting me for quite a while now.**_

_**RxR please.**_

_**Bye.**_


	2. End of An Era

Titania and The Hunter

Chapter 2: The End of an Era

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto or Fairy Tail. They are owned by Masashi Kishimoto and Hiro Mashima respectively. Please support the official release.

I felt like I made this chapter too long and didn't give enough time to the content. I had wanted to leave all the Ninja land elements behind in this chapter so I went off and did all I could. Some people may not like it, but I thought this was the best way. Oh well.

"Talking/_thinking'_

Attack

**"Demon Talking/****_Thinking'_**

**########Hunter########**

The cave gave off an eerie atmosphere to those that saw it. Darkness covered the interior, stalactites and spires appearing all over the floor and ceiling.

Several men all walked into the center of the clearing. Usually, they only sent clones, informants, or holograms in their place. But due to the circumstances, they thought it better to meet in person.

A man with several piercings all over his face and orange hair walked up. He was dressed in a long, black cloak with a red interior. And spread around the cloak was the figures of red clouds. And atop this man's head was a forehead protector with the figures of four parallel lines falling down. And intersecting the lines was a long scratch. He opened his eyes, revealing eyes with light purple irises and sclera and a ripple pattern appearing from the center.

This man was Pain. He was the leader of the Akatsuki.

Or so it is believed.

A woman with blue hair, lavender eye shadow, and a piercing under her lip walked out. She wore a headband similar to the man to her left. And atop her head was an origami flower with a more faded shade of blue. She had the look of a woman who was willing to take any life for their cause.

She was Konan. Angel of the Land of Rain

"So, are we all in assembly?" The pierced man announced in a powerful, emotionless voice. From the shadows, several men walked into the light.

"Neh, Leader-San," a large man said to his boss. This man had a blue-tint to his skin, and long blue hair like a shark fin. Gill-like marks, making bags under his eyes and sharp, pointed teeth. On his head was a metal band with four waving lines, a scratch through the middle. And on his back was a massive sword wrapped in bandages. "Is it almost time for the big party we've set up for? You know I can get impatient if I have to wait too long for the fun."

This man was Kisame Hoshigaki. Monster of the Hidden Mist.

"There is no need for worry Kisame. It will almost be time for our greatest gathering." The leader of the group assured the crazy shark.

"Are you sure it is time for that yet?" The leader turned to the one who had addressed him. The man in question was a tall man with dark skin, with a white hood and black mask. His eyes were his only visible characteristics, green irises and red sclera with no pupils. He wore the metal of the crashing waterfall, with a slash through the middle. "We haven't collected the right funds and don't have enough support to sustain our conquest over the other nations. I don't want to lose all my money because you were premature and impatient."

This man was Kakuzu. The Zombie Broker of the Underworld.

"Kakuzu," Konan stepped between Pain and the masked member. "...watch your tone."

"I am worried though." A new member had made himself known by the others. This was a young man, short in his stature. He appeared to only look about in his teens, with shaggy red hair. He was uncomfortable, wishing to be in his Hiruko covering. But he was asked to appear in his Scorpion form instead. "We seem to be rushing ahead of schedule. Is there a reason for that?"

This boy-like man was Sasori. Sasori of the Red Sand.

"Yes Sasori-San. But there must be a very logical reason for our rush." A thin man walked next to Sasori. He was a pale-skinned man with long black hair. He had thin cheeks and a low nose. His pupils were slit and eyes covered by purple markings. Giving him the appearance of a snake. "We have used our connections to fool the members of the village nations into instigating a war with each other. We asked old acquaintances of Kakuzu-San to pose as members of Iwagakure to infiltrate Konohagakure. Sasori-San used his spies in the upper tier of the council in Sunagakure to stir up the idea of infiltration. And I used my mind control techniques and Impure World Resurrection to have men pose as Kumogakure-nin and attack. It was unfortunate that I lost so many specimens, but it was necessary for our cause."

This man was Orochimaru. Orochimaru of the Sannin.

"Although, I do wonder for some of our plans. Did you send out Kirigakure-nin to instigate a rivalry between the villages, Kisame-kun?" The reptilian like man asked the shark. Anything he could do to further his info library and expand his horizons.

"No, I have no comrades left from the village. Did you persuade them, Leader-San?" The shark said with a toothy grin.

"It was not I, but I do know who it was." The pierced man declared to his followers. As he was about to continue, the tanned-masked man walked forward to address Pain.

"Do you mind telling us what we are doing exactly? Is there someone behind the scenes, or a you just vain in everything you say?" Kakuzu cracked his hands as black wires started to wave from his forearms. "If there is, please tell us. I don't like to be kept in the dark."

Konan flared intent at the ancient man, paper peeling off her hands and face. Sasori smirked as his ninja puppets hovered behind him, lifted by illuminated wire. Kisame smiled and lifted his sword off his back, crashing it into the ground before him. Orochimaru kept a small smile on his face as his long tongue danced out of his mouth. Pain was stoic during this whole confrontation.

"Mah, mah everyone. Please calm down. It ain't nice to have to a disagreement between friends." **"You idiot, they aren't friends, they are working together for the goal. If you would stop eating every shit covered corpse we find, you may have known that."** "Okay that was a low blow. And we both eat the poopy corpses, you know that." Every member looked toward the new arrival. A man that had a Venus fly-trap appearance, one half white, one half black. The white half had a carefree look on his face with yellow pupils and a mouth. The black half with a serious aura to him, yellow eyes the only thing that stood out in his face.

The creature was Zetsu. Personal spy to the Akatsuki.

"Zetsu, have you brought him, they are growing impatient." Pain said to the half-breed. They needed the core player to bring this all together.

**"Yes he is here."** "He said he wanted to get ready and make sure everything was set as we have this meeting." The two halves finished their explanation before turning to show a man with long black hair and a mask with a flame pattern.

The members stared at the new player. Who was this man? And how had he gained the attention of the leader and spy?

"Hello, ladies and gentlemen," the masked man said in a rather deep voice. "You all have helped prepare the new plans for our goal. You all seem impatient with the idea of changes. So I think you should hear our plans for the future."

**########Hunter########**

Naruto sat up against the wall of his cell. His breathing steady and mind calm. Over the last two years, he had grown more accustomed to living in this damp cell. He no longer watched the world pass by his bars, but moved around and sat up after coming from assassinations. This new living had caused him to gain more life in his face. No longer did he appear dead at first sight.

But even with these changes, his eyes were still empty. Some of the Anbu, he finally knew their name, noticed the changes and tried to break him again. But he only ignored their words and actions. And after a while, they just stopped showing up to hurt him.

He was taller after turning five. But he was still short for his age. And he no longer seemed malnourished. Grabbing his food before it was ruined and eating what he could. He even noticed that there was more food than usual over the past year.

What had caused all these changes were the meetings with the creature in his stomach. Over the last two years, Kyūbi still did not like him but had warmed up. He gave him teachings on ways to live and how people act. He was even helping him learn to speak correctly.

As he walked through his sewer, he saw the customary bars that held the fox. He tried to take the seal off the bars to open the cage, but every time he came close he would stop. Like something horrible would happen if he did.

He walked up to the sleeping fox and yelled the greeting he taught him. "Fuck off, Kyūbi!" He said with a slight smile. The fox opened his eyes and looked at the boy with contempt.

**"What the hell did I tell you boy? That is not how you address me."**

"Sorry Kyūbi, but every time I talked to you, you yelled that at me. I thought that was how we greet." The boy said with no change in his facial expression. He had caused the titanic fox to sweat-drop.

**"Yes, well I am the great Kyūbi, you are just a foolish shit that bothers me every day."** The fox raised to its feet and begun to shrink. He was smaller than his usual frame, but still larger than most of the Anbu. The Kyūbi had discovered that it was easier to just change its size then it was to keep pressing its face to the ground. Plus, it would make it easier to teach the child if it didn't have to try and find him in his shadow.

"What are we doing today? Are we continuing with the paper that goes boom and stuff?" The boy said with a tilted head. The fox was teaching him to create paper that exploded. Saying that it would be useful for their escape.

**"Yes, it is time for you to make one as a test."** The Kyūbi smirked at the idea of freedom from another cell. Once this boy had escaped, he would force him to unlock the seal. Every time the boy would try, the control seal placed by the insolent old human would warn him not to. So once they were in the clear, he would scare the child into it and be freed.

Maybe when he was out, he would eat the boy. Ah, that would be a treat.

On the outside, Naruto opened his eyes and took a piece of his rag off. Then he bit his thumb and blood dripped out. He followed the fox's direction and made runes on the cloth. He had made many attempts at making the right symbols correctly, but had difficulties getting kanji right. And taking so many attempts, he lost a lot of blood and passed out. When he awoke, the fox had just said _**'moron'**_, that was a fun day. Making the precise kanji and lines on the rag. If he could add the chakra right, then it would be a bomb at his wish.

When he was finished, he held the rag in front of him. The cloth drenched in dark red, all it needed was the chakra. Kyūbi had taught him how to bring out chakra over the sessions they had. He also said that in all his lifetime, he had never seen someone so bad at working chakra.

Naruto did not know what he meant when he said that, so he thought it was a compliment. Poor kid.

Naruto brought his hands together and tried to charge the note. If he could place some chakra into it, then it could be used as a bomb later on. Naruto concentrated for what seemed like hours to him with no results. **"No, it's not enough to power the note, let alone set it off. You have to bring out more. Keep the flow steady and strong."**

Naruto gritted his teeth and pulled out as much power as he could. It seemed hopeless until he felt a warm sensation move through his body and to his hands. He opened his eyes and saw the rag move.

Naruto was so excited; he kept pouring as much chakra as he could. The Kyūbi smirked from inside his cage. **_'Heh, almost there. If he can keep enough of these hidden, then it will be time for us to break free'_**. The fox then thought of what he would do. He would bite off the heads of the council first. Then he would set off a Bijudama at the center of the village.

As Kyūbi was too distracted with the thought of carnage and destruction that he did not realize it before it was too late. **"No you idiot! That's too much, stop!"**

Naruto stopped his charge and noticed that the note was lighted. All the chakra had built up and over flowed, causing it to start burning.

Naruto's eyes widened and tried to throw the note. But as it left his hands, it was too late.

**########Hunter########**

Each member looked at the masked man with expectation. Thinking that anyone dressed like that was going to spout out nonsense of conquest and end of days. But at first sight, this man seemed calm and in control. Like he wasn't standing in a room with several of the most wanted men and women in all the Elemental Nations.

He seemed in control, even though they had never seen this man before. Like he had everything in the palm of his hand.

Oh, if they only knew.

"Now, since you all have been so kind enough, I have decided that I will answer any questions you have before we continue. I know this may seem difficult to understand, but I may have the answers you seek." The man said with no changes in tone or body. Showing no fear to talking to S-class criminals like children.

"Yes..." Kakuzu said as he raised his hand toward the masked man. "Does this hurt?" As he finished talking, several black threads tore through his arm and towards the man. Just as everyone was prepared to see it rain blood, the thread passed through his body, untouched.

Everyone's eyes but Pain's and Konan's widen in surprise. This man was not a hologram sent from a disclosed site. Nor was it a bunshin, because it didn't implode on contact. Whatever this man was, attacks didn't work.

The masked man wiped a speck of imaginary dust off his clothes. "Okay, now that we have passed formalities, I can start. We won't have any more problems, will we?" The fully masked man asked the semi-masked man.

Kakuzu nodded his head in agreement. He was ready to kill this strange man who seemed like he was superior. But Kakuzu was truly surprised by the man's actions. Even Hashirama Senju did not have a technique like that. This man was interesting; maybe he had finally found someone who wouldn't die at their first meeting.

"Now, my name is Tobi. If you wish to call me something else go ahead, names mean nothing to me anymore. Over the past four years, this organization has sent off members of each major power to attack each other. We are instigating a war between the Five Great Villages. Originally, we were just biding time. Waiting for the perfect chance to present itself and make our move." The masked man shifted his gaze down, "But that is no longer the case."

Sasori lifted his head on interest. "What exactly would that be? There must be a reason for us creating a war." He turned his sight onto the leader of their group. "Didn't you have a thing against starting wars?"

The pierced man kept his look forward but still answered, "War has taken everything, and will bring new to reason. With the end of this next war, will be the beginning of a world of peace."

"What have changed are the circumstances," the masked man pulled out two pictures from his sleeve and held them for all to see. Orochimaru narrowed his eyes, as he knew who one of these people was. One was a picture of a bandaged man with an x-scar, guarded by Anbu. The other was of a blond boy being carried by another masked assassin. "This is a picture of a village elder of Konoha and leader of Root. His name is Danzō, and he has only one goal; the complete control and prosperity of Konoha."

He placed one picture in front of the other, showing the boy. "And this is his ticket to doing so. This boy is his secret weapon. The one he has been using over 4 years to bring absolute fear into the eyes of those who wish the village harm."

"And how does this boy do so, exactly?" Kisame questioned, as his interest in where this was all going continued to rise.

"Simple, he is the Jinchūriki of the Kyūbi no Kitsune." The members who did not know this man were shocked at what he had said. "He is using this boy as a weapon to strike fear into people."

"He is used assassination attempts, group destruction plans. He is even being used to bring control to his village. I had planned on adding myself into a little argument between the Uchiha and council, but this boy had stopped all plans of a revolution." Despite how he was acting, he was truly disappointed; he wanted that Itachi boy on his side in the future. Oh well.

"So what does this mean exactly?" Kakuzu asked.

"Yes, so he has a personal toy, so what." Sasori scoffed.

"Each village has some control of a Biju, so why do we need to be involved?" Orochimaru wondered.

"I know that the 'Mizukage' and Raikage's brother have control of their Biju just fine." Kisame told the masked man. "So is this truly a need for our talents?"

"The problem is exactly that." The masked man assured. "Now that the villages were in knowledge of how Konoha was using their Jinchūriki, they had to begin planning on how to use their Biju efficiently as well. This would mean that the containers life expectance was running short and our window was closing. The more danger they are in, the more the beasts will rage and kill the host. If even one Biju were to run off, our real plan would be ruined."

Every member took interest in what he had just said. Orochimaru stepped forth and asked what most of them were thinking. "What is this 'real' plan?"

The masked man brought his hand to his face and grabbed the cover. He brought the mask down and exposed his face. One side of his face was badly scarred, old injuries due to how much they had faded. The other half completely fine, like he had been sewn together with a perfectly good replica. But his most defining point was the Sharigan eyes he had staring at the members. "It is the completion of the Moon-Eye Plan."

Most of them were in wonder at what he had said. Most except Kisame, who was laughing at the inside joke. "Kahahahaha, it was you. That explains how the Kirigakure ninja got involved. You've been using that Mizukage to send puppets out to further the war plans."

The others were looking between themselves to understand what was happening. But then the Uchiha made himself heard, and continued the explanation. "We will cause a war between the five great nations. During which, to gain the upper hand, each village that joins will bring their Biju to the front lines to win the war. When they do, we will have eight of the nine beasts in one location, exhausted and beaten." He knew that none of the villages would pass up the chance to use their ultimate weapons to gain control of the state of war.

The other members continued to listen, the pieces of the plan coming together in their heads.

"With all five nations crumbled, we will have no one standing in our way. We will gather the Jinchūriki and their nine beasts and use their power to give us infinite strength. Then I will pass a genjutsu on the moon that all the people will see. And they will be under our control. No fighting, no war, only peace in this god forsaken world."

Everyone was amazed that someone would come up with a plan to kill off hundreds of thousands of people to gain control. It was sick to even think that someone imagined that outcome. And they already knew their answer when the scarred man asked, "Well, will you join me?"

Every member looked to each other. And then looked towards the three standing before them. The pierced, orange haired man was ready for any task. The blue haired woman was reluctant with the idea, but ready to follow through. And the scarred Uchiha only stood there, waiting for an answer.

Every other member had a smile on their face. With ideas and plans of their own brewing in their head. This would leave them open to do what they always wanted. Money to waste and gather. Bodies to make eternal art of. Blood-line to keep immortal and strong. And battles to their hearts content.

"When does this all happen?" Kisame asked for the group.

"We used our influence and spies to have set up a single date and location for our final battle. The Valley of the End, on the Tenth of October. That will be our judgment day."

**########Hunter########**

"In one week's time, that will be the day the nations will meet to fight. The Fourth Great Ninja War will begin at the valley on that day." Danzō said at the front of war meeting council. Every able bodied ninja, Anbu, police corps, and mercenary of the Land of Fire was meeting together to strategize. Even the two remaining Sannin had arrived. Tsunade and Jaraiya had been asked by their old Sensei to join in the fray once more.

He had taken charge of the situation due to Hiruzen's inability to adapt to the consequences of war. The villages had declared war on each other after several years of infighting and accusations. Usually this would not be enough to start a war, but members of each village were being killed and sent back in pieces. It was their own way of insulting each other for their failed attempts.

But that was not all. Each village had sent their Jinchūriki to kill and fight, copying their tactic and solution to even the odds. Hiruzen was swamped with guilt that his village may have just started a war because they wanted power from a single child. And even now, they had planned on using Naruto to solve this war for them.

Danzō addressed the people in front of him. "We will emerge victorious from the fight. We will gain the recognition and control we have sought for so long. We will prove what it means to be ninjas of the leaf."

The whole clearing cheered. Most had not known what war was like, expecting it to be one long battle. But the veterans of the third war were prepared, ready to experience a second helping of hell.

"Dismissed!" Danzō order and all ninja vanished, leaving only him and a crestfallen Hiruzen.

The old ninja looked to his friend with a blank look. He had stood there for some time before choosing to break the silence.

"You aren't usually this upset. Even in the times when we were ready for war." The hawk addressed his oldest friend. "What is wrong Hiruzen?"

"What is wrong? What is wrong Danzō is that we are purposefully starting a massive scale war with the other villages. That we are willing to send off our men to die just so that we can continue to prosper. This is not what we should be aiming for!" The wrinkled man yelled with his head in his hands.

"We have always been prepared for these circumstances. That is what it means to be a ninja. That we give our lives and beings to the village and our people."

"But we our using our people to fight our battles. We are using women and children. We have a child on the front lines leading this fight god damnit!"

"And that child is a proud member of this village. His parents and ancestors fought for what is right. I just tried to continue the path early."

"You used him for your own gains Danzō." Hiruzen looked into his friend's eyes. "Don't bring Minato-kun's and Kushina-kun's heritage into the argument. They are not a reason to send a boy to die on the battlefield as he turns 6."

"If this meant so much to you Hiruzen, you would have stopped me when I took him 4 years ago. You didn't because you knew my cause was right, even if the execution was wrong. We both want the same thing; we are just willing to take different paths to reach the goal."

Hiruzen sat down and breathed in. He looked into the emptiness, just thinking of what to do. "My grandson has started to try and walk on his own feet." Hiruzen changed the subject of the argument. "He keeps falling down but tries again as soon as he can."

Danzō walked by him, "Konohamaru-kun seems like he will make a strong ninja someday." The old man tried to reassure his friend.

Hiruzen had a sad smile on his face. "I can't help but think that maybe I can help this child better than I did for Naruto-kun. So I have decided that after this war, I will resign as the current Hokage in power." Danzō looked at his friend in mild surprise; he had loved the Hokage job more than anything else he had ever done.

"I can't help but think I will never lead that boy guiding him as an authority. Because every time I see myself, I see a shell of my former self. And I can't look at that anymore."

Danzō nodded his head, understanding that this was a choice already made, not a decision that could change.

Then a Root Anbu appeared before Danzō kneeling. "Danzō-sama!" The armored man said in a rushed tone. "You need to come quickly; we believe that the demon child tried to escape."

Danzō stared at the kneeling man, and then turned his head to his old friend. The Sandaime could not do anything, knowing he had no power at this point to change anything. Danzō turned back and nodded his head, vanishing along with the Anbu. Leaving Hiruzen Sarutobi to pray for the child's safety.

**########Hunter########**

When Danzō entered the narrow hallway, he saw that many of his men had gathered around a single blown cell way. Danzō made his presence known, causing every Anbu member to stand at attention and let their leader through.

When he arrived at the front, he found Naruto lying on the ground, simmering. He placed his foot under the boy's chest and flipped him over. His chest was badly burnt and his fingertips missing. His arms were close to charcoal black. The boy had passed out from shock and pain, so he placed his hand up and worked the seal.

Naruto's body then jerked in pain as he woke up. He stopped and breathed in heavy breathes. He re-adjusted himself so he had his back on the wall facing Danzō.

"Naruto-kun, what are you doing, causing an explosion like this?" He asked the boy in a low tone, already guessing the answer.

For the first time, the men around him heard the boy say something other than screams if pain. "I was making a bomb to get out." He lifted his head to look at the bandaged elder. "It was an escap-escop..."

"Escape attempt?"

"Yeah that." Naruto answered for the bandaged man who helped him finish his sentence. Even with Kyūbi's help, he had a hard time learning some words. Speaking of Kyūbi, he was making a glare at the man that could not see him. This human was talking down to him, even if not directly

"Naruto-kun, when you escape from here, where will you go?" He asked the little charred blond boy. He tilted his head as his answer. Neither he nor Kyūbi had thought that far. Well he didn't, he didn't know for certain about Kyūbi.

"You have nowhere to go if you left. You would be wanted by this village and every other village. You have become an international criminal, hunted by each nation. And you have no family, friends, or precious people to call your home."

He lowered himself to the boy's eye level. "Face it, if it was not for me, you would not even have a reason to live. You would just be a lifeless child, with a demon inside of you. Shunned and hated by all that see you, no one to go to. That is a far worse experience then death, let alone this."

He stood back and walked a few feet away. "So don't try to run again, because even if we treat you like this, we are the only ones who will acknowledge you." He then continued his walk and ordered the gathered men to disperse.

"I leave the cleanup to you, and the water works if they come." He addressed one Anbu in the crowd to stay, and then faded away in the darkness.

The Anbu looked toward the wall to see the child with his eyes covered by his ragged hair. He walked up to the child and bent down before him, absently noticing that the burn marks and fingertips were fading back thanks to the fox.

"Hey, are you all right?" He asked the child. The boy lifted his head to show sad eyes. The first real expression the boy had ever shown, and it was one of pain and sorrow. But, no tears came from his eyes.

"No. He is right. I have nothing but this cell and life. I didn't like everything he said. I feel mad an-and something else I don't know." The boy said in an upset voice. "Who are you mister? You don't hit me when you walked up."

The Anbu unhooked his mask and showed Naruto his face. One tired eye, and the other scarred and red with figures in it. "My name is Kakashi, Naruto. Kakashi Hatake. And I have been waiting to find a way out of this for you."

The boy tilted his head in curiosity. "Me? Why Kakashi-khan?" He still couldn't get the hang of what keigo was or how to use it. Getting it mixed up with his honorifics. Kyūbi sighed.

"Because I can't sit here anymore watching what is happening." Over the past two years, Kakashi was making his life easier to stand in the hell hole. He had stopped any Root that thought of beating him up. And added extra helpings to his food so he didn't starve. The only reason he didn't escape with Naruto the first chance he got was because he was so heavily guarded there was no openings.

That is, until the war started. If he could find a way to counter the control seal Danzō had on him, then he could free Naruto. He could let him live in a different country, not affected by the war. He owed his sensei that his son would at least live happily.

"Why do you care Kakashi-donoma?"

"Uh, Kakashi is just fine Naruto. Don't hurt yourself with trying to find a good suffix." Kakashi said with a sweat drop down the back of his head.

"Well, why would you help me Kakashi?"

"Because I know you deserve more than this." The man said with a hint of empathy for the child. "And I would do anything to help you live a better life than this."

Naruto looked at the man in wonder. No one had every shown worry or tried to help him. He felt a warm feeling in his chest, something he had never experienced before. Kyūbi stared at the man through Naruto's eyes. _**'My emotion field says that he isn't lying. He truly wants to help the boy. I feel like I have seen this man before.'**_

"B-but you don't know me."

"That may be true, but I know that you can have a better life. And I will make sure the people I see precious to me love happily."

"Pre-precious? What does that mean?"

"It means that it is something you can't go on without. That you will do everything you can to make sure that it is safe. That is what precious people are."

Naruto's eyes widened. He had never heard anyone say something like that to him. Naruto lowered his eyes so they could not be seen. "So if you want to protect something, they are precious?"

"Yes. That is what it means." Kakashi lifted his face to look at Naruto, and was shocked at what he saw. The boy was smiling, for the first time in his whole life, that boy looked happy. His mouth in a wide grin and his eyes full of warmth.

"So, if I wanted to protect you, you would be precious to me? Then I'm not alone after all. Because there is someone else I want to help."

Kakashi looked puzzled. "Who?"

The boy brought his hand to his seal. "I want to protect Kyūbi as well." Both Kyūbi's and Kakshi's eyes widened. "He has helped me so much. I want to make sure he is happy as well."

Kakashi looked at Naruto surprised, and then softened his eyes. This boy should be free. He took out a blanket and placed it on Naruto and patted his head, earning a smile from the young boy. He told him to get some sleep after a bad day.

Kakashi rounded a corner and looked ahead of him. His eyes were blazing with determination. _'I will save Naruto from this life. So he can have a better chance. I promise on my Ninja way.'_

**########Hunter########**

Naruto settled in the ground and closed his eyes. When he woke up he was in front of Kyūbi in his smaller form. Naruto walked up to Kyūbi and asked, " What's wrong Kyūbi? You seem sad." The boy asked in innocence.

The fox lifted his head to look at the boy. His eyes appeared sorrowful, a far cry from his usual anger.** "Why would you say that?"**

"Huh?" Naruto looked at him in curiosity. "Wha?"

**"What you said to the mask. Why would want to help me?"** His teeth flared and his eyes were full of anger. **"You have nothing to gain from helping me. So why are you lying?"**

"I'm not." The boy looked up at the large fox. "You have helped me so much, so I want you to be happy as well." He then gave the fox a happy smile. "You are someone I hold precious. And I want you to be happy as well."

The fox looked down at the child. No one had given him a chance since the old man years ago. He thought that he was just going to have to let this cycle of moving from empty container to empty container go on forever. But maybe that wasn't the case.

The fox turned around, no longer faxing the young boy. **"Leave. Now"**

"Okay." The boy agreed and walked off. "See you later Kyūbi."

**"Wait."** The fox's voice broke the silence. Causing the young child to stop and turn around. **"It's not Kyūbi. That was just something that I have come to agree to."**

"Oh. Well what is your name?"

**"Kurama."**

The little boy smiled and continued walking out. "I like that. Okay, I will see you later Kurama."

The fox just stared off into the darkness of his cell. Maybe it was time to try and make up for some sins. He would never be truly cleared, but he could try. He looked at his hands and started to practice seals. His upper body was closely similar to human bodies, and that allowed him to make seals. He had only seen it once, but he had already committed it to memory.

**########Hunter########**

"Is it supposed to be this terrifying? I knew it was scary just being in the village during the last war. ithought that it would be easier with everyone together." A young man in a newly made Anbu uniform said to the older ninja next to him. He was experienced and strong, but still had the feeling of war wash over him.

"It is alright Itachi-kun. Our youth will allow us to whether any storm or fear, as long as we head into the blazing sunlight. Hahahaha." This man had a bowl-shaped haircut and huge eyebrows. Beneath his flak jacket was a green spandex jumpsuit.

A new man walked up to them in the massive march of soldiers to the battle field. He was rough looking, with a shaggy beard and cigarette in his mouth. "Guy, stop freaking out the new meat. I don't think youth will be able to help out in this situation." He said as he brought a light to his cigarette. As he set the drag, a delicate hand grabbed the stick and threw it away.

"Asuma, if you are so worried about the war, stop smoking and buck up. All that time at the capital with the Daimyo must have made you soft." The woman in question was a beautiful, black haired woman. With blood red eyes with an additional ring in them. She wore make-up and wore the standard flak jacket. She didn't usually wear this outfit, but due to the war march, she had to wear this as the battle started.

"Ah, come on Kurenai. That's just mean."

"Um, Kurenai-San, is this the time for us to be fooling around?" Itachi asked the experienced ninja about what to do.

"No, but this might be the only time we have to stay calm. So enjoy it while you can." A new man made himself heard by the younger group.

They all turned to see two people walking by them. One was a tall, aged man with long, spiky white hair. Down his face were two red lines from his eyes, and a wart on his nose. He wore the forehead protector of the leaf, but in a green kimono and red haori.

Alongside him was a shorter woman with straight, blond hair. She had a purple-rhombus shape on forehead, her protector hanging around her neck. She wore the standard uniform with flak jacket, her well-endowed chest pushing the jacket up.

Next to her was a young woman with long black hair and black eyes. She as well was dressed in the standard uniform, although her sleeves appeared several sizes too big.

"If we wanted to relax, we should camp and gamble. I feel like I could win a few rounds of poker as we speak."

"Nah, Tsunade. If we played right now, all we could take from you would be your rations and weapons." The tall, white haired man said. Until he turned to look at her, taking many heavy breathes. "Unless you want to play strip poker, which in case I'm all in."

The blond women grabbed the man and proceeded to pummel him into a fine paste. Causing several ninja in the vicinity to step back for safety.

"Please Tsunade-sama stop! You will kill Jiraiya-sama I you continued." The black haired women asked her master.

Tsunade let the limp body hit the ground and walked off. She looked to her charge, "Shizune, you have to stop being so lenient. Otherwise his kind will never learn."

The young ninja group blanked at the carefree attitude the Sannin had while they marched to war. Before any of them could question the motive, Guy made a dramatic pose. "Ah, up ahead I see my eternal rival coasting through the crowd. I am sorry my friends but I am off. I will return so that we may enjoy more merry times of youth!" And the spandex man ran through the crowd toward a grey haired young man.

The group left behind could only sweat drop at the man's eccentric behavior. Asuma looked toward the older ninja, ready to ask a question plaguing his mind. "Hey, does this seem right? I mean we are going to war and we aren't even trying to have negotiations. This isn't like the old man." He referenced to the aged Hokage that was at the front of the march. Dressed in his black war gear, he appeared as he did when he was ready to fight a strong opponent. Alongside him, Danzō walking at a steady pace with cane in hand.

Following the leaders of the Konoha army were several Anbu carrying a sealed crate. Making sure that it was safe until their arrival.

"Yeah actually, your right." Jiraiya agreed with the young Sarutobi. "Jiji is usually so upbeat, but when he asked us to come, he sounded angry and regretful. Like he was forced into this decision."

"You don't think Danzō had something to do with sensei acting like this do you?" Tsunade questioned her old friend.

"Well, they never have been on good terms. Only someone like him could cause Hokage-sama to act like that." Shizune added her two cents to the conversation.

"But how does he plan for us to fight in this war? We may have a great military power, but it is foolish to fight against villages that bring their Biju into the fray." Kurenai said with a hint of worry laced in her voice.

"Over the years, father has told me that many of Konoha's enemies are taken care of before they start." All the older ninja looked at the newly promoted Uchiha. "That he has been using some kind of weapon to place himself as a figure of power." Itachi looked between all the Uchiha, Hyūga, and normal ninja in the march. "A weapon that even our village has come to fear."

"Do you think that crate they have with them is that weapon?"

"I don't know Jiraiya-sama, but whatever is in that crate, has given them confidence to take on every power in the world."

**########Hunter########**

Guy ran through the crowd, weaving through the soldiers preparing for war, toward his target. He jumped on the air and landed next to a young grey haired individual. "Ah Kakashi, it is so good to see my rival after so long. With your status now in the Anbu, I have searched for a new rival to challenge as the sun rises. But none I meet can compare to your grace and tenacity." He finished his speech with a cheesy grin and a thumb up.

Kakashi continued forward, causing Guy tomwonder what had happened to his rival. When Kakashi lifted his head to address to lively man. "Guy, this war will not be pretty. We will be using our best moves and skills from the get go. And I am sure that it will not end well for me in the long run."

"What do you mean, Kakashi?" Guy questioned the strange look his old friend had.

"I mean that there is something I have to do in the middle of the battle. And when I am done, I will probably be seen as a traitor and criminal." Guy's eyes widened at the lax tone Kakashi used to describe the situation.

"Then don't do it. Whatever it is, there must be another solution." Guy tried to reason.

"There are a lot of ideas I ran through my head to keep me safe." Kakashi replied with a low tone to his voice. He then looked ahead as the valley came into view. "But this isn't about me, this about saving someone else."

"What do you mean 'someone else'?"

"When the battle starts, you will understand what I have to do."Kakashi replied to his old rival. Kakashi kept the determined look as he thought of the results. He would be free after his sixth birthday. And he kept that thought as he came to a halt.

The entire army stopped as they had come to Hashirama's head. They had arrived at the battle field. And so had the other armies.

**########Hunter########**

Directly across from the Konoha army was the Kumo army.

A massive dark skinned man stood in front of his soldiers. He had white hair combed back with a small beard and detached mustache. He wore an open, white haori that showed off an extremely muscular body, made for harsh fighting. Around his neck was was a curved, four point hat with the kanji for lightning. On both his forearms were gold brackets that went to the joints.

"Yosh!" The giant man yelled in a grand voice. He turned around to address his forces, men and women dressed in black shirts and white flak jackets over the left shoulder. "Alright men, these fools have underestimated. They have sent us bits and pieces of our men back to us. They have killed our comrades and insulted our people. Tried to break ou village and take our secrets. But no more!" He raised his arm in a closed fist. "Now we show them who is the strongest!"

"HAI!" The army cheered with fist raised.

One man in the crowd did not raise to the air but scratched his head. He was dark skinned, with a bulbous nose and blonde hair that covered his left eye. With a short sword on his back, and the characters for Water and Lightning on his shoulders. He yawned and addressed the group around him.

"Man, I don't know how he does it. Our special ops troops, Yugito-San, and Bee-San go on a boat to avoid detection. He leads us through the tress hundreds of miles to the designation. And he still has so much energy." He complained to his blond partner beside him.

"Well this war is something we have been preparing for weeks." C explained to Darui. "He had to make sure that he can motivate all of us. This war depends on him." C then quirked an eyebrow. "Well, him and those two"

Beside the massive Raikage were a man and woman on each side.

On his right, a woman with long blond hair. A forehead protector partially hidden by her hair. Wearing a short-sleeved black and purple blouse and black pants. "I have to say, this is very nerve-racking. But I plan to show these other villages how Kumo-Jinchūriki do it. Right Bee?" She said to the man opposite the Raikage.

Said man was tall, muscular, and dark-skinned, like many of the other soldiers. He had the 'iron' kanji tattooed on his right shoulder. A pair of bullhorns underneath his left eye, which was covered by sunglasses. Adorning his back were seven-sheathed blades.

The man placed his hands in front of him in a lazy fashion. "~Yo bitches, stand by, I'm about to make ya flea. I'm a punch ya pussy ass from the valley to the sea. If ya think you can play me, you got a shitty ability. I'm the one, the only, Motha-Fuckin Killer B~" the man ended his bad rap striking a pose.

Which led to the Raikage bitch slapping him across the forces. All the soldiers only sighed at the brothers' attitude.

**########Hunter########**

Between these two armies, was the Kiri army.

After traveling by the sea and through the neighboring countries, they had finally arrived at the sacred fighting land. When they arrived, they had seen that the land was smaller then they first thought. It then became evident that this was the starting point, but the adjacent lands were all in the crossfire.

At the front of the army was Yagura, the Fourth Mizukage. On his back was a large staff with uneven flower petals and a hook at the end. Behind him were his forces wearing black pant and shirts, in grey flak jackets.

Out of the forces walked up a beautiful, auburn haired woman. Her face framed by two bangs. She went to the Mizukage to grab his attention. "Mizukage-sama, all of our forces are ready to fight."

"Good," the young looking man said over his shoulder, "that will be all. Join the rest in the wait."

The slender woman nodded her head and began the trek next to a man with an eyepatch. She stopped and regarded the Mage once more, "Mizukage-sama, are you sure this is the correct course to take? Our military power isn't even close to adequate enough to fight this battle."

"We will stand in this battle." Yagura said without any hesitation.

"But without the seven-swordmen, we don't have enough power to fight back. Even with two Biju, our forces will be slaught-"

"Terumi!" He said with a powerful tone, causing the women to stop her questioning. He turned around to look at her, "This is a fight we will stand in. We may not have the numbers, but our forces have more then enough strength to make up for it. You are dismissed."

The woman bowed her head before she heard one last command. "Send up the other would you. We need our main forces here."

Moments later, a young man joined Yagura on his perch. He wore the standard outfit of kiri, but had long brown hair that cover his left eye. He walked up to the Mizukage and asked, "Do you think we will survive this fight?"

"We will," Yagura assured. "We will show the world why our village is called the Bloody Mist."

Unbeknownst to the rest of the army, as Yagura looked forward, the image of a sharingan shadowed over his eyes.

**########Hunter########**

On the opposite side of the valley, stood the Iwa-army.

The army stood in red suits and brown jackets. In front of the forces was a small man with a big red nose in a green and yellow jacket. He had his Kage hat wrapped around his neck. He was currently hunched over in pain, clutching his aching back.

"Owwwwww. I knew we shouldn't have passed through Takigukare. I should have just flown my way here."

"Ah, come on old man." A large man with a beard told the short elder. "If you had flown, everyone else would get jealous. We had to stay together in the walk."

"Oh shut up Kitsuchi. Just help me with my back." The old man complained to his son. The man grabbed the old man by the head and legs and pulled. Earning a painful scream from the Tsuchikage and a pop from his spine.

"AW! Not like that!" He said as he felt his back in place again. He re-adjusted himself and started to float, to talk to the tall man better. "Is everyone prepared?"

"More or less. They're ready to show what they got." Ōnoki smirked at what his lieutenant had said. He remembered what his master always told him, 'the spoils of war went to the winners'. And if he was right, they were about to be loaded. Kitsuchi regained the old man's attention, "Gramps, they are ready by the way."

Ōnoki looked behind him at the new arrivals. One was an older looking man with red hair with a mustache and beard. He wore a large headpiece with a black armor piece that ran across his.

The other was a tower of a man. Dressed from head to toe in red armor with a straw hat. He had a strong but uninterested look on his face. As he stared out into the upcoming war zone.

"Rōshi, Han, I'm so glad that both of you could come. We will need you."

"Whatever old man," Rōshi said with slight disdain, "Just make sure you leave us alone when this is over." Beside him, Han only made an affirmative grunt.

**########Hunter########**

"Uh, uh, uh." The little boy whimpered. He was hunched over, clutching his head as the voice kept whispering to him. "Mother, please, make it stop." The little boy had red hair and black shadows around his eyes. On his head was the character for 'Love'.

In front of him stood a man who looked like and older version of the boy. He was dressed in a black ninja outfit under a white haori with green highlights and a hat.

Behind him, a man who had his head wrapped and half his face under a sheet, appeared. "Kazekage-sama, we have the gold dust ready if anything goes wrong." He said as he looked aside at the troubled boy. "Chiyo-sama also has the sealing process prepared if we decided to capture any others like him."

He nodded his head. This was the chance to reclaim Suna's former glory. He turned to his son, "Gaara." The boy lifted his head to show eyes that showed a tortured, crazy soul.

"Those men are here to kill you." The boy then started to pull himself in, trying to make himself smaller. "All those men have come to kill you, and we won't stop them." He looked down at his son. "What will you do?"

Gaara stopped shaking, letting his hands fall from his hair. He lifted his head to show eyes that were not human. They had turned black, with a four-point star and for dots around it.

He laughed as sand started to form claws around his arms. "Kaa-sama. Kaa-sama."

**########Hunter########**

The valley was covered with ninja on the edges, ready to fight at the call.

Danzō stepped forward. 'We started this, we may as well finish'. He motioned for the Anbu to bring the sealed casket.

"What is that thing?" Jiraiya asked no one in particular. Just stating a thought in his head.

Hand signs went through fast as the covering fizzled away. The guards grabbed the sides of the package and pushed forward. From there, a tired and weak blond boy slid out.

The ninjas around them all had surprised looks on their faces. If they were suspecting something from the basket, it wasn't a boy that was having trouble standing up.

"What the hell!"

"Why is a kid here!"

"Hey, haven't we seen him before?"

"Kakashi, is this what you were talking about?"

Jiraiya looked in horror at the sight. "Mi-Minato?" At second glance, he saw him better. "N-N-Naruto?"

"Sensei, what the hell is this?" Tsunade asked her former teacher, who could only mash his teeth so hard he started to bleed. "Sensei!"

"Now," Danzō brought up his hands, "It begins."

The little boy's body jerked as red bubbles grew all over him. And as soon as he was covered, his skin started to peel off. 'Now, it will end.' Finally, in front of them was not the boy, but a black, 9-tailed feral monster.

**"HHHHAAAAAAAAAAAAA!"** The little Kyūbi sprinted forward, leaving a crater and dust in its place. It jumped into the valley and ran on all fours.

"CHARGE!" All five forces jumped into the clearing. The Nibi and Hachibi coming into existence, taking a large portion of the clearing for themselves. Jutsu and weapons were thrown from each direction.

Fires and blasts going off into echoes. The previous silence was dead.

**########Hunter########**

From a high point, several men watched the battle that had been raging on for twelve hours.

The valley was no more, just another destroyed patch of land.

Right from the start, the heavy hitters were throwing out their best moves. Ōnoki used his Dust release to fight against the freed tail beast. Damaging the hulking monster like they were nothing. But as he was distracted, he didn't see the bubble technique that hit him hard. He was still flying, but he had to keep taking breaks to catch his breath.

A was using his Lightning Release Armor to destroy any defense he came upon. He defeated every ninja in his way, until he hit a snag. A woman he identified as Tsunade of Konoha had stopped his charge. They had planned to just cross fists and move along. That was four hours ago, and they were still at it strong.

But every side was experiencing casualties from the Jinchūriki and Biju. Almost instantly, the monsters and their containers had met to fight in the field. The Kyūbi rushing around the Hachibi, dodging its attacks due to its smaller frame.

So each of the Jinchūriki entered their second stage. The fight being determined by will and ability. Except for Gaara and the Ichibi, they had just kept their full released form and shot off Wind Bullets in every direction.

After sometime, every ninja was coming to their end. More then half of the fighting forces were dead now. The only ones who were still fighting were the best of the best. Everyone else either passed out, or died.

"It looks like it is time for us to make our move. To change the world for the greater, through this final war." A red-haired man in a mechanized contraption said.

"Heh heh, well this is interesting." Orochimaru said as he licked his lips. "So many old faces, so little time."

"I know what you mean. Neh, Tobi, have you been manipulating the 'Mizukage' through all this?" Kisame had been watching his old leader use his best moves to fight off those around him. He then had a smaller grin on his face."Wish you could do better with the orders, most of the Kiri are gone."

"It doesn't matter." Tobi shrugged as he walked around with explosions in the distance. "When we are done, their deaths will have helped lead us to peace." He looked toward Nagato. "Can you send him out?"

"Yes." The pierced man walked next to the mechanized human. "Yahiko is ready to deliver us to heaven. He will help fight against the Biju."

"Then we will be here until the first hit." The walking corpse left the mountains and ran to the former valley. Tobi gathered all the Akatsuki around him then sucked them into his alternate dimension. Keeping them together until he appeared at the field again. He looked over at the remaining member. "Are you coming?" He questioned the blue haired woman.

"No." She said with no room for argument. "I will stay with Nagato as he uses his power to attack." Without the use of multiple bodies, he could use more chakra for Yahiko's attacks. But that didn't mean that the attacks didn't have as much strain on her friend's body.

The masked man nodded before swirling around his eye and disappearing from sight.

**########Hunter########**

"Raikiri!" Kakashi yelled as he thrust his lightning covered hand through his opponents chest. The Suna-nin fell to the ground as he retracted his hand. After he did, he noticed that most of his vision had started to blur. He had been fighting for too long now.

Since the fight started, he had kept close to the Kyūbi influenced boy. Making sure that the kid was still alive through the fight. In doing so, he had put his body through too much to keep close to the monster fights.

His body had been run ragged, blood dripping from his eyes and arms. His legs feeling like jelly under his weight. But he had make sure that he could still fight, and get Naruto to safety when he had the chance.

Luckily for him, he had joined with some of the best in Konoha to watch each others backs. These last few hours were a lot easier knowing you had an Uchiha, Sannin, and someone like Guy to help you along.

Along the way, he had to answer a lot of questions.

"Kakashi, I need some answers now." The old ninja said to the young man as he smashed a Kumo-nin with his lashing hair.

Kakashi slashed an upcoming charger with his blade, killing the man. "Danzō took the Jinchūriki of the Kyūbi and made him into a weapon. He has kept Naruto in a cell for several years and used him for his needs."

Asuma held off an attacker with his chakra blades. "How the hell don't we all know about this?" He blew everyone back with his Dust Cloud Technique.

"Everyone was sworn to secrecy to not tell anyone this secret. Even Sandaime-sama could not do anything against it."

"So Jiji isn't to blame, thank god. Why hasn't he stopped this?"

"He has been over ruled by the council on this decision. He has fought for his freedom for years but can't do anything about it."

Kurenai put several ninja in a genjutsu that held them at bay. "But why do you know about this? Why did you willingly join the Root?"

"I was asked by the Sandaime to check on the condition of Naruto." Everyone listening beside Kakashi looked between the old man swatting people away with a giant staff and the demon boy crushing people in his way toward the Iwa-Jinchūriki in armor.

Re-positioning themselves into a tight group, they all started taking heavy, deep breathes. "So over the years, I have been watching over Naruto. Making sure he heals properly, eats his food, everything he neede to survive. But lately, I knew that it wouldn't be enough to watch him, so I have been waiting."

Itachi blew a Great Fireball Jutsu at those around, boiling off their skin and melting their eyes. "Waiting for what exactly?"

"This battle." The others looked at him like he was crazy. "I will use this battle to take Naruto away and to safety. I will be charged for treason in doing so, but that won't stop me. The only problem is Danzō." They all looked to the man who had been worn out after applying chakra for 10 hours straight.

"His seal will cause Naruto pain until it can be undone. So I know this maybe too much to ask, but can you guard us as we escape?" He turned around to acknowledge the group around him. Unknowingly leaving himself wide open to an attack from behind. But before the attack connected...

"Dynamic Entry!" Guy jumped up and made a beautiful side-kick that sent the ninja soaring into the edges of the valley. He landed and gave Kakashi a big grin."I had worried that you had lost your way my friend. But risking your life for the safety of a child, that is the rival I have strived to defeat. I will lend you my strength."

The others nodded, agreeing with Guy's over exuberant words. Now all they needed to do was survive.

As the last of the small fry fell, the others took in as many breathes as possible before the big fish. Now, they needed to fight off the Biju, Jōunin, and Kages that were left.

As they paused, they saw something floating in the air. After some time everyone else stopped their battles. The Tsuchikage had stopped his Dust Style before hitting Hiruzen. Tsunade and A stopping mid-brawl to gaze up at the sky. Mei, Darui, and Kitsuchi stopped to measure the situation that could play forth.

As everyone was silent, Jiraiya's eyes widened as he recognized the flying figure. "Yahiko?"

"SHINRA TENSEI"

That was what everyone heard before the explosion went off over the Biju.

**########Hunter########**

As the dust settled, the scene could be better observed. A giant hole had been created from the mighty push sent down from Pain. At the center of the hole, the Jinchūriki had all passed out from the force of the attack.

Near ground zero, all the other soldiers had been pushed back. Buried by rubble and the dead bodies of their fallen comrades. The last of the Anbu, special ops, and Kages could only view as from the center, walked out two men.

One was the man that created the blast. Walking out like he had done nothing more then swat a fly.

The other was a man who had appeared out of thin air. His body coming out of a spiral in space, which had centered itself on his eye. He walked in front of the other man, and grabbed the attention of the ninja around him.

"Hello everyone, we are sorry to interrupt your little spat, but we have important matters to take care of. My colleagues and I are here to take your little bundles of joy behind me." The ninja around him widened their eyes at the crass way to say he was taking the Jinchūriki.

"I know this seems inconvenient, but we didn't start this war for nothing." From his eye, another hole in space appeared. This time, unleashing five men that joined alongside the already present two. Members of the fallen ninja all let out gasps at the sight of some of the most wanted men appearing out of nowhere.

Each member jumped off to a different location. They all landed in front of old friends they hadn't seen in quite some time.

With the masses happy, Tobi turned around to collect his prize. "Alright, time to cash up." As he went to grab the first one he could find, a kunai sailed right through his head. As if irked, he turned his head to see his old friend struggling to stand up.

"I-I won't let you take them!" Kakashi yelled as blood seeped out of his wounds. Behind him, his comrades all struggled but ultimately stood back up.

Tobi walked next to Pain, bringing no attention to the ninja glaring at him. "Zetsu, make sure they won't get up as we finish here." From the ground came a black and white creature that nodded its head and spilt. The white one left and attached to the Jinchūriki and siphoned their chakra, the black one took a stance and prepared to attack. "Shall we finish these fools off?" Pain nodded his head as he let his power seep out.

**########Hunter########**

"Hello Sensei." The snake like man said as he walked up to his former teacher and leader. "I haven't seen you in such a long time." He grew a smirk that would send fear into any great shinobi's heart. "You've grown old."

"Orochimaru?" The old Hokage had the look of pure fear on his face as his old pupil slowly walked forward. While the Hokage was covered in injuries, blood seeping from his wounds into a puddle under him, the snake man hadn't aged a single day. "Why are you here?"

"Well Sarutobi-sensei, I have found myself a nice little clique that peaks my interest. You always told me that I should try and get out more, make new friends." Orochimaru said as snakes slithered out if his sleeve, regurgitating a magnificent sword the fell into his hand. "Although I had originally planned to join in a couple of years, they just couldn't do this without me."

The Hokage stood back up, his quarrel with the Tsuchikage all but forgotten. Now his attention was on his twisted student. "What are you trying to do here?" He gritted his teeth and clenched his fist until he reached blood, "Why are you here!" He screamed.

"We're going to save this world Sensei. No more pain, suffering, death. They will help me find the Immortality I have searched so long for." As he walked forward, he detected danger and jumped back. Where he stood, now was a vaporized crater. He looked up to see a midget floating with a clear cone in his hand.

"Heh, do all of your men have a strange tendency to defect?" The Tsuchikage said with a wry smirk. "After all this time and I still have to out your men in their place, old man."

"Heh, if I'm old, you must be dust at this point Ōnoki-San." He grabbed his staff and entered his battle stance. "You should sit down before you become a cripple. I'll have to show my old pupil his place."

"Do you think you can, Sensei?" Orochimaru brought up his blade a smashed it against his sensei's staff. "You should stop before you die."

"I won't stop Orochimaru." Hiruzen swiped his staff, forcing the man back, "I won't stop until I have fixed everything I've done wrong!" He said as he charged forward.

**########Hunter########**

"Well, well." Kisame stepped forward meeting the group in front if him. Sasori walking by his side. "It looks like I get to fight some strong people after all." In front of him were some of the best ninja from the other villages fighting in a cluster after the bomb.

"Kisame, what are you doing?" Mei asked as she struggled to rise up.

"Oh I don't know you, but your from the village and still alive, so you must be good." He had a grin as he raised he blade and crushed the ground.

"Chiyo-baba, it is so good to see you again. How have you been?" Sasori asked his fallen grandmother.

"Th-that's impossible, how are you still like that?" The old woman said in shock at her grandson's eternal appearance.

"I found a way to become strong, which I can't say the same to you though." He grabbed his cloak and ripped it off, revealing a puppet like body. With a wire spinning out of his stomach and a strange core in his chest. The wire lifted and aimed toward his old granny. "Here, let me put you out of your misery."

The wire spiked forward, aiming for the old woman's head. But before contact was made, a large rock formation made a shield in front of her. From behind, Kitsuchi grabbed the woman and dived before the wire pierced through the rock. He stood back up with the elder woman under his arm.

"Hey granny, I know we've been fighting and everything, but do you mind if we beat this little bastard into the ground first." He waited for an answer from the elder ninja, but nothing happened. He looked down and shook the limp body. "Oh shit."

He then got headbutted in the chin, backing him fall and grap his chin in pain. The elderly woman landed on her feet and laughed. "Haha, I got you, did you think this old hand would die so easily kiddo." She turned and regarded her grandson, "Now I think is time you get a spanking for misbehaving so long, young man," summoning her Chikamatsu Collection.

Meanwhile, a giant shark of amorphous water was flying through and attacking anyone it saw. "Ha, this is what I've wanted for so long." Kisame stopped and had a sad look on his face, "To bad none of you can still fight." He redirected it to the first Kiri-nin he could see.

Mei lifted her head to see a hulking beast coming at her. She tried to move but could not summon the strength to stand. She resigned herself to her fate, until it did not come.

"Storm Release: Laser Circus!" Dozens of flying lights shot up and shredded the shark, turning it to water instantly. Mei lifted her head to see a shaggy Kumo-nin standing between her and Kisame. "Man, it isn't enough that we have fought for hours, now monsters are trying to snuff us out." He turned around and offered his hand to her, "Sorry about this, but could we work together to put this guy down? Or else we may not make it back."

Mei smiled and took his outstretched hand. "Sure, but let me finish him off, okay. I feel like I have to put this man down for our village." She turned to the blue man, and went through a series of hand seals before leaning back and breathing in.

"Lava Release: Melting Apparition!" Mei spit out a wave of lava that spread over Kisame's head. The shark man dove out of the way to avoid the boiling rock. The lava dissolved into the ground and caused smoke to raise into the air. Mei smirked and wiped spit off her chin, "I hope your ready. I'm going to show you how our village can survive without your help."

"I didn't think that there was still a bloodline in the village." He lifted his head and showed his shark teeth to the world, Samahada fusing to his arm. "Interesting."

**########Hunter########**

Tsunade looked to the left, her vision coming close to a tunnel. The Raikage she had been fighting was not in good shape. His haori long abandoned, and his arm braces had cracked and fallen off. Tsunade had broken several of his ribs and got many good shots on his head.

Of course, she was in no place to talk. He had grabbed her left arm and broken it completely. And when she was getting away, he had landed a powerful hook into her stomach. She had been coughing up blood for most of the fight after that.

But that didn't matter right now. They were both in bad shape, and this man in front of them did not look like he had any room for negotiations.

"Hmm, why did I come here?" The tall, dark man wondered out loud. "I felt like something familiar was here, but all I see are two broken bodies."

"Who the hell are you? Get out of my way, I have to check B and Yugito." A said as he raised to his feet, blood seeping from lacerations and open wound, but paying no mind to them.

"I don't know you, Kumo boy, so it must be this young girl I've come to meet." He walked closer, only for the Raikage to appear from behind and try to smash him into the ground. Kakuzu felt the precense come up behind and jumped back. As he turned, a fist almost made contact, but he ducked under. He jumped and kicked A in the face, only stunning the massive man for an instant before he grabbed the outstretched leg and swung him around.

Kakuzu shifted his arm forward, black threads shooting out of his arm and into the Raikage. The threads dug into the man's torso and arms, blood dripping down the string. Kakuzu lifted the massive man, then used his power to smash the human tank into the ground multiple times.

When he was finished, he retracted his threads and walked up to the downed man. When he came close, A lifted his head and made a wide swing at him. Kakuzu jumped back and gained his balance, "You can still stand after all that? Impressive," more threads released themselves, "I think I'll take your heart for spare keeping." As he walked forward, he felt a painful stab in his chest.

Looking behind him, he saw the former broken woman had punched right through his heart. Her visible wounds disappearing right in front of him. He ripped his body of her arm and stumbled.

"How are you moving? Weren't you dy-"*Smash*. Before he could finish, A came up from behind and brought his connected hands down on the surprised man. A large crater had been created from the massive force, leaving a messy blood stain in the middle.

A looked up from his work and up at the Princess. "Finish this later?" Tsunade nodded her head and started to move toward her injured comrades. But as they both went their way, they were hit by an unexpected attack.

"Don't turn your back, or you may find yourself dead." When they both turned around, they were hit by two devastating attacks. A by a massive current of shredding wind, cutting through his Lightning Release Armor and sending the effect back at him.

While Tsunade was hit by a strong fire stream. Singing through her clothes and burning her skin. They both landed on their backs as Kakuzu came into sight.

He was no longer a tall man, but a freak of nature. Thousands of black threads pouring out of the stitches all over his body. Hundreds pouring out of his mouth, like an octopus. Among the threads, on his shoulders, were a red and blue mask. The masks mouths still open, with smoke and gas coming out of the open holes.

"Now I know what made me come here. That healing technique is the same as his. Your his relative right, Hashirama Senju's?" Tsunade raised her bruised body, her burn marks disappearing faster by the second. "Wow, this must be fate. He disappears and I couldn't get the rematch I've been waiting for. So I get the chance to fight his family."

"My grandfather died, so if I have to, I will destroy you." Tsunade reassured as she lifted herself up.

"Oh no, that's not true." Tsunade's eyes widened as the freak continued his explanation . "After his death was made public, I wanted to come pay my thanks. Maybe loot the corpse and sell it off, the price of a Hokage's body fetches a high price." Tsunade mashed her teeth together in pure anger at the man in front of her. "But when I came to it, the coffin wasn't carrying his body."

"W-what?" Tsunade's eyes widened at him.

"Oh, the coffin was full, but with a different body. Those that didn't know the man personally probably wouldn't realize the difference. But I could tell that, just from our fight, that it was a fake." Kakuzu made a wide grin with the thread still in his mouth. "You've all been lied t-"

From behind, A tackled the monster and through him away. Kakuzu slid a looked at his opponents. Tsunade and A were standing side by side, ready to fight. "Whatever the reason may be, that will not stop me. I will take you down, you monster."

"Heh, and so it begins."

**########Hunter########**

Jiraiya jumped and tried to attack Pain, but once again, he used his strange gravity technique to push him back. When he landed, he dove forward with a Rasengan in hand, but Pain dodged and brought out another black stake.

He dodged the weapons thrust, and placed himself on only his hand. Using that to spin around, he kicked the man in his chest, sending him several meters away. But he only flipped and landed on his feet. No change in his expression. He looked over to see Kakashi and Guy still fighting the masked individual.

After thirty minutes of fighting and no results, it looked like this man was invincible. He could phase through any attack, and that meant he could always keep moving. They thought that there was no chance to win, until they made a discovery.

When he was about to attack, he made himself physical to make contact. But when they send an attack at him during this open chance, he was vulnerable to attack. So they had figured that if he came close to making contact, they would try to hit him and make him phase through. This little back and forth had been happening for a while now.

It still looked like they had a better chance of winning then he did. Around him, Itachi, Asuma, and Kurenai had passed out from exhaustion. And Jiraiya was not far off from joining in. Yahiko was overpowering him in the Ninjutsu department. When he came close, he would be blown away. If he gained distance, he was forced back in seconds.

"Yahiko, make this stop. What happened to you?" He tried to remember back to that little boy who had a huge grin on his face. That little shit that promised to take out all evil in the world. "Where's Konan? Where's Nagato?"

"Sensei I think you have it wrong." Jiraiya stopped his questioning to listen to what he said. "Konan is fine, but you see-" he raised his eyes to look at the man with his Rinnegan, "I'm Nagato. Yahiko's died long ago."

"What. W-what are you talking about?"

"I'm saying that Yahiko saved us long ago. He sacrificed himself so Konan and I could live." He just kept looking at his Sensei with disdain. "When you left, our world crumbled. We lost everything, so we decided to fight for what we can save. I will use Yahiko to usher in the world where no one dies. I will save this world."

"Nagato, not like this. There has to be a better way."

Pain raised his outstretched hand, "Sorry sensei, this is all we can do." With a push, came a Shinra Tensei that sent the Sannin back.

"Why are you doing this you bastard?" Kakashi yelled from his kneeled position. Next to him, Guy had been hit and was coughing up blood.

"Sorry, but I'm going to take these things with us." He referred to the weakening Jinchūriki behind him.

"Why do you want them?" Kakashi tried to ask.

"I need them to save the world. They are strong, but they have no purpose but to help me with my cause." He started to walk to the bodies, no longer giving the weakened ninja his attention.

"They don't deserve this. They don't have to become we- He doesn't need to be a weapon!" Kakashi tried to stand, but only stumbled over. He raised his head with said eyes. "Please leave them."

"No." Tobi stopped and turned his head. "I will use them to save everyone. Themselves, you, 'Rin'." He came to the closest body, a small blond boy with whiskers. "Sorry Kakashi, this world will end now."

**########Hunter########**

In an empty space, the fallen ninja disappeared. The crumbled rock and dead bodies, all but vanished from sight. The assembled injured, the cowering Anbu, and the battling heroes were no longer there. But something else did appear.

In the open space, were eight massive, multi-tailed beasts. All assembled around in a rough circle. And all of them looking at each other; a Tanūki, Cat, Turtle, Ape, Horse, Slug, Ox, and Fox gathered together. They had been chatting for the whole fight.

**"Bwhahahahaha. Then the fuck head blew himself up right in front of the kid. Then finally, I got to have some fun. Until that asshole father of his used the Gold Dust on me. Always ruining the fun."** Shukaku told his siblings after such a long time.

**"God Shukaku, control yourself."** Matatabi said while she licked her paw. **"We don't see each other for decades and the first thing you tell us is your adventures of slowly falling into madness."**

**"At least he is set free, not only am I sealed, but Yagura is under control too."** Isobu said as he laid on his shell. **"It feels like I had fallen so low."**

**"Not just you my brother, we all feel this grand dissatisfaction."** Son Gokū said to his turtle brother, patting his shell. **"These humans have insulted us for too long now. Locking us up, calling us these unfavorable names. This man has been using my power without consent."** Gokū slammed his hand on the ground, **"I never should have told him my name."**

**"It doesn't get so bad."** Kokuō said from his spot. **"Every now and then, I get out to stretch my legs, but we get called out by that old fool. No free space I tell you."**

**"All I want is to soak in the fresh water."** Saiken groaned to his family. **"But Utakata can't let me out. Whoever has your guy Isobu, he is a dick."**

**"Well, we get on alright, but my guy is annoying."** Gyūki reassured his brother. **"Speaking of that control guy, I think he is coming in on our terf.**" He brought everyone's attention to the growing figure.

**"What is he doing?"** Gokū voiced his thought.

**"I think he is trying to take us."** The eight-tailed told them. **"Hey Kurama, what do we do?"** He looked to his brother, but got no answer. **"Kurama?"**

Every sibling looked to the fox, and saw that he was looking down, eyes shadowed. **"You know, I hated these humans for so long. All of you must have to, right?"** He lifted his head, eyes full of sadness. **"I wanted to kill them all."**

**"Wanted?"** Matatabi questioned her borther's wording.

Kurama looked to his family with nostalgia. **"Over these decades, I've kept being pushed into a cage. I thought that I would never find something that could understand our loneliness."** He grew a small smile, thinking of what Naruto went through.

**"But then I remembered what the old man told us all those years."** Every Biju had a look of longing in their eyes. Remembering the old ninja that had given them their life.** "We all came back, and he told us that we would never be alone. And I finally realized something."**

He looked back at what Naruto said last week. **"These people we are with, they can understand us. And I feel like I could even help them."**

**"What!?"** Gokū questioned Kurama. **"But you always hated these humans. What changed?"**

**"I do, I just realized that I can also hope to see a smile on someone just like the old man."** He lowered his head with a big grin. **"I can tell just who has the bad intentions out there. So I am breaking out."**

**"WHAT?"** Every Biju screamed at the same time.

Kokuō came forward. **"How can you do that? It's impossible?"**

**"It's impossible because we want to get our whole being out. If you leave behind the chakra and core, you can make an ethereal body."**

**"But that isn't enough."** Shukaku told him.

**"If you leave behind the core, that's your chakra and thoughts left behind. Plus you can't leave them, the ethereal body is still connected to the core and seal."** Kurama nodded his head at Isobu.

**"Yeah."**

**"Which means that you can only create a chakra body as long as you are near your host. If you go to far, it will dissolve and you will be pulled back."**

**"I know"**

Gyūki went up to Kurama.** "What are you planning?"** He said with worry in his voice. Being with Bee so long was affecting him too much.

**"Listen, when you see Chōmei, tell him I'll see you."** The others were about to voice their thoughts,but he was already fading away, purposefully leaving their clearing.

**########Hunter########**

Kurama lifted his head and walked to the cages' bars. He took a step past the bar, feeling a spike go through his body as he pulled forward. Danzō control seal appeared all over his body, pushing him back.

But he continued forward, until finally he passed through. He looked down to see his body had become translucent. Then behind him to see a second body, this one without eyes or a mouth, with a thin line still connected from his tail to the empty slate.

_**'Now, it ends.'**_

**########Hunter########**

Tobi came close to the small, unmoving body. Under his mask, he smirked. He reached down, but stopped when Naruto's body jerked up. As Tobi brought his hand back, Naruto became covered in a clearer version of the bubbles before, not changing his appearance.

The bubbles gathered over the child's body. They reached up until they came towering over where they originated. Everyone who could still move, looked to the center as a tower of bubble came into being.

The tower started to expand, forming claws and paws. They made four legs, nine tails, and a fox head. Everyone looked in surprise as before their eyes, the nine tails was formed.

Atop the edge of the valley, unharmed except for fatigue, was Danzō. The old ninja stared and grew a smile, shaking from excitement that his weapon had finally arrived.

**"KAAAAHHHH!"** The Kyūbi brought it's claw in a swipe, smacking White Zetsu into the sky. And with the other hand, smashed down on Black Zetsu, burning it with the touch of pure chakra. He looked down at the masked man and grinned.

**"Hey, haven't we met before? Oh right, you thought you were big shit and controlled me.**" It brought it's head down to look at the man. **"Wanna give it another go?"**

"What the hell? What is this?" Tobi stepped back. Even with his phasing, he was still intimidated by the massive creature.

The Kyūbi raised it hands and brought them in. **"This is Judgement, Human."** And in an instance he went through nine hand seals and stopped.

"Th-that Jutsu." Hiruzen gawked as he watched the demon finish his hand seals. Stopping his battle against Orochimaru with Ōnoki. "It can't be."

When Kurama finished, a feeling of dread was drawn all over the valley. Unbeknownst to them, behind the Kyūbi, manifested a deity.

The Shinigami. The death god. The final vision had appeared behind the Kyūbi's back.

'**Aw, Kyūbi, what a pleasure. I haven't seen you for six years. What are you doing?'**

**"I'm making a contract."**

**'You? You understand you'll die if you do.'**

**"Yeah. Listen, can I take more souls then one."**

**'Yes, you have enough power and soul to take dozens of men. Are you sure about this?'**

Kurama smirked as multiple god hands came out of its chest. **"Judgment Day!"** The hands flew out, arcing in the sky before Fallon to their targets.

Dozens of root Anbu felt a cold chill as the hands landed on them. The Akatsuki members froze as their bodies didn't move. Tobi looked from his hand and looked up at the giant god, feeling fear for the first time in years. "D-D-Damn i-it."

Danzō tried to run, to escape. He made the seal in hopes that he would be freed. Around his body, Kurama experienced pain as the seals grew over his body. But he continued his search, grabbing all he could find.

"N-no, not like this. I tried to save this village, these people." Danzō screamed out in desperation, "I was a hero!"

And then silence, his body fell forward, careening into the floor of the valley.

Hundreds of people fell as they died, bodies becoming cold instantly. All the hands returned to Kurama, him screaming in pain as the souls invaded his body.

But finally, it stopped. A massive Shiki Fūjin appeared on Kurama's translucent body, as it was fading away. Kurama closed his eyes, ready to accept his fate. But opened his eyes when he heard a weak voice.

"Kurama?"

The fox looked down, seeing the damaged boy had partially regained consciousness. The fox saw that Danzō's seal over the original one had faded, a result of the man dying.

**"Heh, didn't want you to see me like this kid. Thought you would sleep through this and just wake up happy. But we're never this lucky, huh."** He looked down to see that the boy's attention was passing in and out, a result of the pain.

**"I guess you probably won't hear everything I say."** He smiled and looked down at the boy. **"Listen close kid."** Naruto opened his eyes weakly.

**"The day will come that you be set free. You will probably go through a lot of trials, and pain. But hey, that is just the way things go."** His body was fading, leaving only his upper body. **"You will probably want to cry sometimes, but don't. That will show that you can't take it. Take the pain, carry it, and find what you can protect. And then..."**

**"When you are free, when you can see the world with you own two eyes, then you can cry."** As it reached his head, he saw that Naruto had passed out. **"Oh well, the message is still there."**

And as the last of his face disappeared, his last words floated with the wind.

**"Thank You, Naruto."**

Silence, nothing but the patter of falling rain in the valley.

**########Hunter########**

After the host was gone, the Shinigami was still there, floating over the landscape. It looked down at the boy. And let out a sigh.

**'Six years ago, your parents used that same Jutsu to save your life. Somehow, people can't help but want to help you. Such a strange child.'** It looked around at the carnage that had taken place. **'But I don't think you can live in this world. Too much pain and destruction has centered itself around you.'** It unsheathed the blade in its mouth and made a slash in the space before him.

A small hole appeared in the air, a different landscape could be seen through the hole. He lowered his hand and used his power to pick the boy up. **'You will still experience pain, even in this new world. But perhaps you can learn to be strong here. To make sure you don't lose anymore loved ones.'**

The Shinigami tossed the boy into the hole, and closed the portal. Then fading from existence, until he was needed again.

**########Hunter########**

*Cough**Cough* "Na-Naruto!" Kakashi jumped down the crater to find the boy. "Naruto, where are you!" He screamed as he desperately tried to find the boy among the Jinchuriki.

But found nothing. Around him, Jinchūriki stirred awake. Moments later, ninja from each village arrived, helping the people to their feet.

"Kakashi, where is he?" Hiruzen slid down the crater to arrive at the young man. He could only shake his head as he couldn't find the boy. Hiruzen gasped, and closed his eyes as tears flowed down them.

The surviving ninja crowded around the crater. The original forces numbers reduced to a fraction. Those still in fighting condition helped those they found still breathing.

"Well, it looks like we have finished for this battle." Ōnoki stated as he floated to the center of the trench. Around him were the Kage, Mei, the two Sannin, and Guy.

"It looks like we have been made fools of in this war. Used like puppets." A said as he hefted Bee and Yugito on to his shoulders, ignoring his wounds. "I say we end this war for now, but this doesn't solve our problems. We will set up a Kage meeting to understand the situation."

"No." Hiruzen replied to the Raikage's suggestion. He sent Enma back and grabbed his helmet. "I resign as the Hokage of the Hidden Leaf." He declared as he removed his helmet, earring several gasps from around him.

Next to him, Kakashi lifted his hand and removed the headband. "I resign as a Jōunin and Anbu of the Hidden Leaf." He dropped the metal to the floor, letting in clatter.

Hiruzen look to the man beside him. "Are you sure Kakashi-kun?"

"I promised that I would save him, promised on my ninja way." He clenched his hand in anger. "But I failed to do that. I failed to save my friends, my teacher, and now his son. How can we call ourselves ninja if we can't even save the life of a child?"

The Fourth Kazekage walked up to him. "That is our way, boy. We can't save everyone, but we try our best."

"How Is This The Best?" He gestured to the dead bodies surrounding the clearing. "We started a war from a misunderstanding. We sacrificed thousands of lives, because we were manipulated. These people almost died." He waved his arms to the Jinchūriki, who all had some form of consciousness by now.

"We call ourselves heroes and legends. Shadows that go undetected, even from the light. But we've been in the dark so long, we can't even help our own people." All the Kages looked toward the Jinchūriki and survivors. "Maybe if we stopped fighting for power, we could try to help more people." Hiruzen walked out of the crater before turning back around.

"Because if it takes this much pain and suffering to solve our problems. I'd rather try to stop those problems all together." As he turned back around, he saw every Konoha ninja still alive look at him. Jiraiya stepped forward from the bunch. And removed his headband, following in his sensei's example.

Soon enough, each of the ninja removed their band before they started the trek home. Leaving the other nations to think of what they said.

"They're fools you know. That is what it has meant to be a ninja since we started." Ōnoki stated, before he looked up at the cloudy sky, rain washing away the dirt and blood. He smirked, "But then again, we go through each day to hope we may make up for what we did yesterday." He said before floating away.

"It appears that we have many mistakes to think of tomorrow, but maybe we will find a better answer to them then." Mei said before she assisted her Mizukage up, realizing that he had been freed from the hypnotism.

"Bee, Yugito, can you here me?" The two bodies on he shoulders shook their heads in affirmation. "I'm sorry it took me so long to try and help you." He walked up the trench, "Maybe we can fix this somehow."

All that was left was the Kazekage, standing in the crater, by his slowly recovering son. The man looked to the sky and took a deep breath. He squatted down and picked his unconscious child, and left. "It will never be enough, to make up for what I have done. And someday, you may take your revenge on me. But you were never hated Gaara, just the child of unfortunate circumstance. You were never a mistake, and I wish I realized that sooner."

**########Hunter########**

_On October 10, the Fourth Great Ninja War commenced in the Valley of the End. This was a battle between Konohagakure, Kumogakure, Sunagakure, Kirigakure, and Iwagakure. Started from killed soldiers, and invaded nations._

_But it was just a ploy from a shadow organization by the name of Akatsuki. To cause war between the nations, and destroy the strongest ninja forces in the land._

_They had, in an attempt to control the world, manipulated the villages to their whim. To capture the Jinchūriki of each village, they sacrificed too many lives._

_In the end, the battle had been stopped by the Kyūbi no Yōko. The supposed demon of the ninja world, saved the world by sacrificing its life._

_The ninja nations separated from the battle. To recuperate and re-evaluate their losses._

_In a battle between 75,184, only 9,573 survived. The ninja battle force was greatly reduced, becoming almost extinct. For the next year, chaos had grown over the nations._

_Until the nations leaders met again, not for battle, but for peace. They made a pact, to work together for the better state of their people._

_They made teams of 5, one ninja from each village, spread over the areas of the world. Although originally the alliance was shaky, over time, they came to trust each other. Soon enough, the samurai from the Land of Iron joined in the effort._

_When the fights were over, they worked toward making their life's better. They used their skills to make new land, increase energy, save people in need._

_They were no longer Shinobi, warriors of the night. But heroes, working together to keep peace sacred._

_But the losses toward this peace were never forgotten. The ninja who died in the war were remembered every year. The life lost in the effort toward the peace were carved into stone, never to be forgotten._

_But what no one forgot, was the life of the boy who changed the ninjas' heart. At the discovery of what he was put through, the ninja worked toward making sure pain like that was never experienced again._

_The peace they experience everyday. The life's that are kept happy and safe. The light that shines down on all that are afraid._

_It was all thanks to that boy._

_Naruto Uzumaki. The child who helped change the world._

**########Hunter########**

In a desert, a row of caravans traveled toward the beach. In the back of the carts; men, women, and children all tied up. Two men complained of the heat.

"Uh, it's too much to ride in this unbearable heat. Why did we have to do this?" The man asked as the sounds of people crying were heard behind him.

"Because we had to bring as many people we could find back to the tower. That is what the master told us to do." They continued in silence, until he a saw something in the heat. "What is that?"

The front cart stopped, the men jumped off and walked to what they had seen. When they arrived at it, they were surprised.

On the ground was a small, blond boy with scars on his cheeks. He appeared injured, but no visible wounds could be seen. From the way he was sleeping, it appeared like he was unconscious. One of the men placed his fingers on his neck, feeling a faint pulse.

"He's alive, but I don't know if he will wake up. What should we do?" He asked his partner.

The man had an evil smirk. "What else? We put 'im with the rest." They both smiled as they grabbed the boy roughly and threw him in the cart, closing the bars.

They continued the trek towards the beach, arriving at the boats. When they did, they moved all the captured into the brig, even the unconscious child. And then, they sailed off to their destination.

To the skyscraper on the sea. The Tower of Heaven.

**########Hunter######## **

"Come on Jii-San, don't stop." A little girl no older than 5 with red hair asked the old man. "Please tell me more stories. You promised." She said with an adorable pout that put puppies to shame.

A tall, wrinkled old man with white hair laughed. "Okay, okay. Give me a sec. Hmm, oh." The man snapped his fingers. "Have I told you the one about the handsome hero who saved the princess from trolls with the help of his midget friend Dryer."

"Yeah. And the one about about the girl from another world. And the one about the hero and his friend Bobby going to party with the princesses. And all of them with that mad midget man Dryer." She tilted her head in wonder. "Why is he so angry anyway?"

"Haha, I don't know. I'm still trying to figure that one out." He scratched his chin. He snapped his fingers and had a smile. "Oh, I like this one. I'm going to tell you the story of when the Fairies helped and saved the visitors from a different dimension. Are you ready?"

The little girl jumped up and down in excitement before the bars opened up, revealing the jailers. The girl grabbed the leg of the tall elder. "Rob Jii-San, why are they here?"

"To bring in the next group. Don't be afraid." As he finished his sentence, a body hit the ground. A little boy with whisker marks that wasn't awake.

"Little bastard slept through the whole travel. Wonder if he is dead?" The jailer shrugged before he shut the door. The other slaves paid no attention, but Rob walked up to the young boy and picked him up.

He brought him over to the girl and examined him. After several minutes, he couldn't find any injuries, but the boy still wouldn't wake up. He was planning to use magic when the little girl asked him.

"Is he alright, Jii-San?"

"I don't know. There are no injuries, no pain, but he won't wake up. Like he doesn't want to."

"Well I know how to." The little girl said with a smile. She leaned over and placed her forehead on the boy's.

The old man only sweat-dropped at what the girl was doing. "Honey, what are you doing."

"I'm letting him know someone is here. Maybe he is lost and just needs to find a way back.

**########Hunter########**

_'Where am I?'_

_'What is this? Hey Kurama, where are you?'_

_No answer._

_'Kurama?'_

_'Hello, anyone?'_

_No answer._

_'Please. I'm cold. So cold. Please.'_

_He then saw a light in the darkness. He tried to walk toward the warmth, but struggled to move. After many tries, he finally moved forward._

_He reached toward the light, and was engulfed in it._

Naruto slowly opened his eyes. The light burning him as he opened too fast. But blocking out the light was something. Something red.

It was hair. Red hair.

The person who owned said hair opened their eyes and saw something look back. Strong brown eyes looked into clear blue ones. They lifted their head and looked at the boy on their lap. "Hello." They said in a high-pitched voice.

"Hi." Naruto replied softly, still adjusting to where he was. "Where am I?" The girl gained a sad look.

"Your in the tower, I'm sorry." She then had a soft smile. "But your with friends here. What's your name?"

"I'm Naruto. Naruto Uzumaki."

"Hi Naruto. I'm Erza."

**########Hunter########**

**_Done_**

**_Huff *collapses* that took forever. I put so many thing in that chapter. Characters introduced and killed. Seen only once then gone. Of course if you watch Naruto, that doesn't need to be a problem._**

**_Okay so-_**

**_Yeah, I may have been ambiguous about Hashirama's death date. But there is no specific date or reference to when he died. I had to use a very rough estimation time line. Which is a bitch, I kid you not. _**

**_So I said the very last time they saw him, which is around the time the second was killed by Gin and Kin, was when he traveled. I couldn't get much else from there. If I wanted to research more, I would have to read the whole series again._**

**_And that would involve me reading about Naruto searching after the bitchy, emo, Sauske fucker when he should just kill him off. And him try to impress Sakura, when he should be with Hinata._**

**_Okay, rant done. Anyway, now starts the fairy tail stuff. Which means more research so this stuff can be accurate. _**

**_Yeah_**

**_RxR please _**

**_Happy Thanksgiving._**


	3. Things Called Guilds

Titania and The Hunter

Chapter 3: Things Called Guilds

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto or Fairy Tail. They are owned by Masashi Kishimoto and Hiro Mashima respectively. Please support the official release.

Sorry this one took me so long. I had an idea but no way to get through it. But hopefully this won't happen again. Sorry.

**########Hunter########**

"I'm Naruto. Naruto Uzumaki."

"Hi Naruto. I'm Erza."

Naruto had a puzzled look on his face. Not recognizing this place or person. He tried to lift himself off this 'Erza's' lap, feeling uncomfortable. But as he tried to lift himself, all of his strength just disappeared.

"Ah, are you okay?" Erza asked with a worried tone. She saw the new boy try to lift himself up, but failing to find his balance. Falling over multiple times.

"Damn. Where am I?" He asked as he could finally keep still. Even if it was only on his knees.

"I told you already, you are at the tower." Erza said as if it was common knowledge.

"Well, what is that?" He said with a growing tick mark. "Just saying that isn't helping."

"It is the place that will deliver this world to a sanctuary. The Tower of Heaven." The children looked to the elderly voice. Naruto saw a tall, old man with white hair. He was sitting in a crossed position, looking at the boy with a questioning gaze.

Naruto looked back at the old man, having doubts about who he could be. So far he had only meet one elderly person in his whole life. And Danzō did not make a good impression for the bunch.

"And who are you supposed to be, old man?" Naruto said with a hint of anger and distaste. Rob looked in to the eyes of the boy, and saw anger and fear someone his age shouldn't feel. And the stare off lasted for several moments... until Naruto got slapped in the face.

Naruto fell to his side, looking towards the girl who just slapped him. She had a stern look on her face, like she was about to tell him off. "Don't be mean to Rob Jii-San. He is really nice." She said as she pointed at the boy. "Apologize."

"N-no." Naruto said as he finally got to his feet, only paying attention to the offending child. "I don't know who he is and I don't care. I'm not going to say sorry for no good re-"

"No, apologize now." Erza said as she started to beat her hands against the slightly taller boy. The boy started to back away from the surprisingly heavy hits of the small girl. He then ran away in circles as the girl chased him, yelling at him to apologize. Rob looked in amazement at the scene, and then had a small laugh at their antics.

The boy finally succumbed to the girl's wishes, sitting in front of the elder. He looked straight at the man, and then changed his gaze to the side. "I-," the boy struggled with the right words, "I'm sorry Jii-San." He said, and then turned to look at the red haired girl for approval. She had her arms crossed, nodding her head with a smile.

Rob looked at the young lad, and then gained a soft look on his face. "I'm sorry if I offended you young man. I was just interested in who you are?" He said as he tried to touch the young man's shoulder, but saw the boy flinch. "What's wrong?"

The boy gained a slightly frightened look, not trusting the man in front of him. "I'm sorry. It's just that I don't usually have people apologize to me. And when they touch me, they usually just hit me." He said to the old man, who had just gained an extremely dark face.

"They did what? Why did they hit you?" Rob said as he could feel anger quickly grow inside him. Even though Rob did not know this young man, he could not comprehend the idea that a child should be beaten at such a young age.

"I don't know." Naruto said as he looked up at the old man. "Since as long as I could remember, people just hated me. I don't know why, but they looked at me like I was something else. Something bad." The blond shook as he recalled everything that happened to him.

Rob looked at the boy in shock. He wished he could find these men and give them a piece of his mind. Whatever he did, no child deserved to be hurt by people. _'Is that what lead him here?'_ He wondered as he tried to think this through. Should he ask?

"Why are you here?" Erza broke the tension between the two with a questioning look. She felt very uncomfortable from the sidelines. Naruto looked to the little girl sitting beside him and the old men.

He tried to think, closing his eyes, "I can't remember." He strained himself trying to remember the last thing in his mind. He remembered the men with masks all gathering around him. He could hear Kakashi screaming in the background, asking that the boy could be spared. Then Danzō walked in front of him, and he blacked out.

Naruto couldn't remember anything after that. Just then he decided to talk to Kurama, maybe he had the answer to what was happening. He opened his eyes and found himself in the same sewer he had come to know. He walked up to the cell, prepared to talk with the ancient fox, but found something off. In place of the titanic demon was a massive ball of red chakra.

Naruto walked toward the ball and reached his hand out. Immediately the ball changed shape, becoming the form of the fox he knew, but without a face. The faceless body stomped forward, almost crushing the boy, and lurched forward. The boy hesitated, but reached his hand forward and touched the body of the chakra.

Instantly, memories flooded into his head, taking over for several moments. Images of bodies piling up, massive monsters attacking each other, and a spiraled man reaching for him. And then he saw Kurama, standing with his body fading away. He could see that he was talking, but he could not hear what he was saying. And then, after some time, he just vanished.

Naruto then finally understood why Kurama looked like this. Why he didnt talk or react how he usually did. This was just a memory.

An echo of himself. The body he left behind.

Kurama was gone.

**########Hunter########**

Naruto opened his eyes. He just let it wash over him. The strongest thing he had ever met in his whole life was gone. He could feel an overwhelming sadness take him over. But no matter how hard he tried, the tears just wouldn't come.

Rob and Erza looked at the new boy. They wanted to ask him what was wrong, but they could tell that it was something bad. Erza reached out to help him, but felt a rough hand place itself on her shoulder. She turned her head to see Rob with a sorrowful look on his face, shaking his head in the negative.

Rob moved forward and sat in front of the depressed boy. He placed his hands on the boy's shoulders to gain his attention. The boy looked up at the man that had brought him back. He had a regretful smile, one that showed understanding and pity for the little boy.

"I know you probably don't want to tell us, but you should know we will help. This place is hell. But we will be here with you, so just rest for now."

The boy nodded his head in understanding. He laid down on the floor and curled himself into a ball, already used to these circumstances. The man looked at the boy I worry, but decided to leave him be. He turned back around and walked toward the little girl. He smiled at her and patted her head.

"Come on Erza-chan, it's time for bed. You will need the energy for the work tomorrow."

She looked down cast for a moment, but looked back up at the elder and smiled. She laid on the floor and closed her eyes. She was terrified of the idea of the work tomorrow. But she silently hoped that the boy would feel better the next day.

**########Hunter########**

Images of war passed in his consciousness. Blood pooling in the craters and trenches created from devastating attacks. Ninja of all sizes and age attacking, decimating each other.

And at the center of it all were eight figures. They started out as small, black multi-tailed monsters charging at one another. And then, some of them grew to gigantic size, becoming monsters that destroyed whole sections of the battlefield.

And at the very center, the giant blast that knocked them out. And then, from the bleary vision he still had, he could see figures still attacking and defending.

Then from the air came Kurama, standing above him as hands popped out of his chest. Once again, he slowly faded from his vision, disappearing forever.

Naruto jerked awake at the sound of a loud scream. He felt a cold sweat drop from his neck at the continued images played in his head all night. He turned his head in the direction of the scream.

From different cells, people were being led by men dressed in strange clothes, holding staffs. Sometimes, lightning would shoot out from the staff, shocking the prisoners. This led to the people moving faster, in hopes that they wouldn't be hurt next.

He stood up when his cell was opened. A robed man with a face mask walked forward and stood in front of him. The man looked around and saw the new boy stand in front of him with the other two at the side. The little girl was hiding behind the tall old man. He brought his attention back at the little boy. He smirked at the new chance to enforce himself.

"Hello young man. Welcome to our humble home. You slept for a while so you probably don't know the rules. So let me educate you." He brought his had up and punched the boy into the ground, grunting at the force. The little girl had let out a quiet scream at his action.

"Get up you little shit! Time to work!" He grabbed his staff and unleashed a wave of thunder on the small child. The boy shook in pain at the sudden attack. The attack ended and the boy tried to lift himself up but was kicked forward to join the crowd. He moved along with the tall slaves and came into an open cave.

He saw people gathering crates and rocks together. Placing them on floating platforms and bringing them to designated areas. He saw the masked men whipping people who moved slowly with a strange, glowing whip.

He was bewildered at the horrors in front of him. People being tortured and attacked in front of each other. Others not making any effort to help one another. Just working in fear, hoping that they would be ignored.

As Naruto stood there he was thinking of making the first run for it he could. But then he was pushed by one of the jailers toward a working path. He was pushing back until another electric shock coursed through his body, making him scream.

He looked up at the rocks and rubble breaking in front of him. He followed the examples that the other men and children were making. He reached out and grabbed the first stone he found and threw it in a growing pile.

He continued to grab the dense rocks and throw them. Listening to the screams and pains that played around him. He felt his hands rip and cut at the feeling of the rough stone.

After hours of work, a loud bell pierced the cave. When Naruto looked around, he saw that the rest of the slaves were leaving. He decided to follow the crowd in the halls and into the cells. After a few minutes he finally arrived at the cell he arrived in.

He slowly entered the cell and saw that the old man and little kid were back. The old man had scruff marks and dirt all over him. It showed that he had done work similar to him and had been shocked as well.

In front of him was that girl Erza. She was sniffling and had her hands out in front of her. They were covered in cuts and bruises just like his. The old man Rob was holding her hands and his were shining a strange light.

He saw that Erza's hands were healing and gaining color back. After a few moments, they were fixed and she wasn't crying anymore. She beamed at the elder and hugged him around his neck. The old man returning the gesture to the young child. He released the girl and she went into the corner to play.

After a few seconds, Rob turned his head and saw that the new child was standing close to the bars, looking at them. He looked down and the boy's hands resting at his side, covered in cuts and blood. He turned and addressed the young boy, "I see that you worked hard today." He said with a sad look in his eyes, "Come here, I'll fix them for you."

The boy looked at the man in questioning, until he felt his hands twitch. He decided to follow the example that he saw and sat in front of the man. He placed his hands out and the old man took them in his, the strange light covering his hands.

"Now I ain't the best at healing, but I'm good enough to fix a few scratches" he said with a slight smile at the little boy. The boy only looked at the man but didn't react to his little joke. Rob's eyes softened and continued to work on the cuts. "I'm sorry you had to go through that on your first day."

"What the hell is this place?" Naruto looked up at the man with a worried look, "How can they do something like this?"

"They are corrupt and evil men. Using people to get what they want."

"Heh, I think everyone is like that," the boy let out a quick, dry chuckle.

The man saw that the light was not doing anything to help the boy. He released the kid's hands and saw that barely any of the scratches were gone. He looked at the little boy with a bewildered look, "It doesn't seem to be helping you."

"I don't understand this." The boy raised his hands to see that the scratches were barely fading even now. The rate at how they disappeared before he arrived was not even a feasible dream. "My wounds always healed fast. But now, the chakra can't do anything close to what it did before."

Rob looked at the young man with a surprised look etched on his face. His eyes opened in shock at what the boy just said. Memories of past adventures rising back into his mind. "What did you just say?"

The boy looked up at the wrinkled man and tilted his head. "I said Kurama's chakra isn't helping. It always used to help when I came back from those missions, but it isn't working." He clenched his hands into beaten fists, "I can't fix myself like this. Not without him."

The elder looked at the little boy who had disappointment in his eyes. "Who is Kurama?" He questioned the child.

"He used to live here," he motioned to his belly, "but he is gone now." The boy had a far off look in his eyes. Rob decided to rip his shirt and wrapped the boy's hands in it.

"I'm sorry but I can't help your hands. But it will heal in time. I promise."

"Why not Jii-San? You healed me didn't you?" Erza said as she approached the two boys. She had wondered what the two were talking about while she was sitting away.

"Because I've seen this before. I can't help him because he is not from here." Both of their eyes widened in shock at what he had just said. Rob could see that both of them had not understood what he had said, so he had decided to elaborate.

"I've met people like you, who used something called chakra. They were very strong and could fight many people, but when they would fight, we couldn't heal them." He moved back and traced his finger along the dirt and drew something. When he lifted his hand there was an image of a spiral with a point on its edge. "Do you know what this symbol is?"

Naruto looked at the image and it instantly clicked. "Yeah, the men with masks always had this symbol on their heads. They said it was a leaf. Why?"

"Yeah, you're from the same place." Rob said with a regretful smile. "You use something called chakra, which is similar to magic but uses different elements to make it. And because of that, I can't use my magic to heal you."

"What? Why?"

"Neh, Jii-San, I don't understand. You told me that everyone has magic right? So why doesn't he?" Erza asked Rob with a curious tone.

"Yes Erza-chan, everyone here is capable of magic if they tried. But Naruto-kun here doesn't have the ability to summon it. Since he comes from a place where people use something other than magic. He is incapable of gathering eternano which we need to use magic. And without an origin, he can't use magic to gather in his body and heal him." He looked up to see that both children had a big, questioning look on their faces. He then remembered that he was talking kids and should try to simplify the explanation.

"I can't do anything to heal him with my magic. He has to heal without our help."

Naruto stood to his feet to address the elder man, "But what about Kurama's chakra? Why can't it heal me?"

"I think that without Kurama's help, that chakra doesn't know what to do. It is just a mass of power that can't do anything without something leading it. And without help, it can't heal you the same way as before."

Naruto look down in despair, feeling that his best advantage had disappeared. He then felt two palms on his back and turned his head and saw Erza beam at him. "It's alright. Everything will work out."

Naruto only looked at her with empty eyes and settled into the floor, ignoring her encouragement. She pouted and prepared to nudge him but was stopped by Rob. He shook his head and motioned for her to go to bed. She was angry at first, but then she reluctantly followed his directions.

Rob looked toward the sleeping boy and wished to talk to him. But knew that he should leave him alone. He placed himself against the rock wall and dozed off. Ignoring the sounds around him, he went off to his memories and dreams.

**########Hunter########**

_The massive man stood in the clearing along with his friends, preparing to see off the travelers. All of them were chatting with those they have come to know. Rob looked to his side to see Goldmine talk to some of the Anbu. Talking about how they should start taking it easier and be wild._

_Bob was flirting with the females and giving them the look. He sure did enjoy talking to the ladies, although he would also flirt with the men and give them a more, well, lustful gaze._

_To the side he saw Yajima and Prolyusica talking with the scientists and Yukiha-San. He was asking what kind of techniques and skills that was custom over on their side. Yukiha-San was giving him a long explanation of what was possible over there. And after some time they began to talk about the ideas of food and cooking. She told him that if they found a way to go back, she would feed her two kids the recipes he gave her._

_Finally he looked to his side and saw Makarov beside him looking around the clearing with pride. He was so happy that their group had come to connect with the traveling ninja. He still wanted to try and hit on Yukiha-San, but after the first time he decided not to get on her angry side._

_Even Makarov had learned to stay away when he was punched through several trees and bounced off the water into a big splash._

_Man that was a fun time fishing him out of the big lake._

_But now they had to head back home. Master Purehito was sending messages that they had to come back home. And the Konoha travelers had to get moving again. Or else the guards were going to come back and attack again._

_"So, are you sure that you have everything you need. We can still give you some rations and water. I mean you can even follow us to Fairy Tail if you like?" Makarov said to the tall figure standing beside the two of them._

_"No, I will not impose on your help and hospitality." He said with a smile at the two of them. "If we followed you to your home, they may come there and close you down. Besides, until we find a suitable place to go back I wish to look around this wonderful land, see this world for what is possible."_

_Rob and Makarov looked to each other and smiled. Then they tied their arms around his neck and gave him a smile. "Well Hashirama-San, it has been fun running from the Royal Guard with you. But if that captain finds us, we will be screwed. We wish you luck on your journey and on your way home."_

_"Thank you Makarov-San, Rob-San. We will never forget the kindness you have shown us these past few days. We will never forget Fairy Tail."_

_"Okay, well, if you need our help just visit." Makarov said as he detached himself from Hashirama and joined the rest of the Fairy Tail on one side. They waved the vanguard group away and hoped that they had fortune in their travels._

_Over time they had heard stories in the papers of mysterious people helping civilians in trouble. A strange group of justice that arrived for people in dire need of help. But their group knew instantly that the group was their ninja friends. Listening about how that section of the Royal Guard was traveling across Fiore in search of the group with the strange energy._

_They knew that their friends would never be captured and questioned. And that they could just keep running._

_Until one year after they saw the group off, they heard the horrible news. It became known as one of the worst military catastrophes in history. The rouge guard had been chasing the group for several months and had decided that capture was no longer an option._

_Now, it was a kill on sight._

_From the news, it was said that the captain had blasted a massive magic attack to kill the insurgents. Most likely it was Abyss Break or the Jupiter. It seemed to work, until the attack continued forward. The attack landed and devastated the small village of Tonewa. The death toll reached over four hundred and the village was wiped off the map._

_The small group of guards and the captain were regarded as criminals, with the leader marked as an S-Class criminal. They were wanted and feared by most people in Fiore. But that is what you would expect from the former Squadron Chief of the Holy Knights._

_The whole group was dumbstruck at this news. They never heard of the ninja group again after that. It was believed that they had been wiped out. After that, they decided to help the country the best they could in memory of their friends._

_Sometime after Makky got promoted to the Guild Master, the group separated and traveled to help the world._

_Goldmine and Bob decided to make guilds of their own to help the country. Yajima joined the magic council, to make sure that the tragedy that happened at Tonewa never occurred again. Which he had successfully done for many years. Makarov and Porlyusica stayed in Magnolia, she decided that the idiot could use some help with keeping the guild standing._

_And Rob decided that he could travel and see Fiore. Having houses close to major cities and places of interest. And during his travels, he never forgot what happened to his friends._

**########Hunter########**

Rob awoke to the jailer's yelling. He saw that they were screaming at Naruto, who was standing in front of a tearful Erza. He could tell that the jailer had decided to once again assert his power in front of the slaves and the little red-haired girl had caught his eye.

Naruto put himself between the sick bastard and Erza, smacking him in the balls when he was about the hit her. He grabbed the staff and held it at the man. The jailer had a furious look plastered on his face. "You think you can do anything you fucker! You think you can kill me?"

"You think I can't kill you? I've already killed enough to make you cringe you fuck." Naruto said with a wicked growl in his voice and anger in his eyes.

Rob's eyes widened in shock. _'He has killed. My god, what has he been through.'_

Naruto raised the weapon and was about to hit the cult member. But just as he was about to strike, visions of blood poured into his head. He stopped and froze, a cold feeling spreading down his body. The texture of blood stained on his hand. Pushing his hands and feet through the bodies of his enemies. Standing over the piles of bodies that came in his way.

The jailer looked up at the frozen boy and smirked. In that moment he struck the boy and took his staff back. He aimed it back at him and shot lightning at the little boy's chest. The child jerked at the feeling of a million needles piercing his frame. After a minute, he stopped the discharge and lowered the weapon. He silently turned around and closed the bars. He then smirked darkly and chuckled at the boy's feeble attempt to fight back.

Erza moved forward and nudged Naruto, hoping that he would respond. After several tries, he finally started moving and propped himself on his elbows. He took a deep breath and tried to think about what had happened. "W-why? Why couldn't I go through? Why?"

"Because you can't stand doing it anymore." Erza and Naruto looked toward Rob who was sitting close to them after the moment passed. "I don't think you are capable of killing anymore because you regret it. People who have done bad things try their best to make up for them. And you didn't follow through because you can't stand taking any more lives." He said to the horrified boy.

Naruto gained a growing feeling if dread. He looked toward the ground and started pounding his fist against the floor. "WHY DAMNIT!" Rob and Erza flinched at his exclamation. "He said that that was all I had. All I was good for was killing. I wanted to leave because I thought that I had something more. Kakashi told me that I could be more, but is this it?" He looked up at Rob with pleading eyes, "Is this what the outside world is like? My freedom is gone. My friend is gone. My purpose is gone."

He clenched as hard as he could until his hands started to bleed. "What do I do?" He asked no one in particular. He just wallowed there in his pain, not knowing what he could do.

Rob looked at the child in pity. When someone was put into such situations at this age, there was not much that could be done to help them. Words of wisdom only seemed to infuriate them, and ideas about what they could do only made it worse. There was nothing he could do, but then a little red angel came and opened the way.

"You could join a guild." Erza said with a cheerful smile, trying to lighten the mood. Naruto lifted his head at her, not understanding what she just said.

"W-what?"

"A guild. A family. That is what Jii-San keeps telling me about. How people with nowhere to go can come together and have fun and adventures. That anyone alone can join and be a part of something bigger." She said with a beautiful smile gracing her face, looking down at the boy that now had a look of bewilderment stuck on his face. "But I can't explain because I haven't seen one, but Jii-San has." She grabbed his hand and pulled him toward Rob. "Jii-San, Jii-San, tell him about all those guilds and things you told me. Please." She looked up at him, with Naruto beside her with a look of wonder, his previous pain was gone.

Rob looked between the two of them, surprised that all that had happened was forgotten and now he was the center of attention. He grew a smile and got settled, "Alright, so get ready you two. I'm about to tell you the wonderful stories of guilds around the world."

Rob continued to tell his stories and adventures in Fairy Tail, putting extra detail into making his character awesome. Stories of treasure hunting, saving people and stopping bandits. Erza was elated, continuing to hear the stories for another time. But where Naruto started off with a skeptical look, he then started to listen intently. His eyes growing bigger and bigger with every story. He and Erza started laughing when Dryer was caught in a mini-tornado. Erza happily squealed and Naruto gagged when Bobby and Yagi got familiar with the thankful girls. And they cheered when their team won against the evil guilds.

After hours passed, both Naruto and Erza were both happy after the story time. Naruto no longer depressed with the events that played out, now only interested in the guilds. He looked toward Erza and smiled. "Thank you."

She stopped laughing and looked at him funny, "What for?"

"I was really sad before, but that changed when you got me here." Naruto smiled at her.

Erza was shocked but then formed a smile," Your welcome."

"You're a cool guy, you know that Erza."

Both Rob and Erza stopped moving and looked at the new boy. Erza twitched at the assumption. "H-hey, I'm a girl."

"What?"

"A girl you idiot, don't you know what a girl is?"

Naruto shook his head. Rob touched Naruto shoulder and whispered in his ear, "Naruto-kun, girls are different then us. They are nice and sweet, and they don't have that important thing." Rob said with a slight nervous tone at explaining the difference between boys and girls to a six year old. Naruto looked at Rob in questioning at the last thing he said. Causing the former Mage to let out a deep sigh. "That thing between our legs."

Naruto tilted his head and walked toward Erza. He stood in front of her and then lifted the hem of her clothes. Rob blanked at the boy's forward behavior and Erza screamed before she planted her fist in his cheek.

Naruto slid back with a red cheek, while Erza had a growing blush painted on her face. She marched up to Rob and pointed at Naruto with a heated glare, "I don't want him here anymore. He is a pervert."

"E-ehehe, now now Erza-chan, I don't think he meant that." Rob motioned his hands for the girl to calm down.

"No, no, make him apologize." She started to shake her arms in circles at the elder man, hoping that he would make the boy say sorry.

"What did I do?"

"You looked up my skirt pervert!""

"What's a pervert?"

"You're a pervert, Pervert!"

"Stop calling me that. Old man, stop her." He turned to the old man to see that he was faking sleeping. Now only leaving him and the angry girl in the cell. He turned back around to see the girl had turned head with puffed cheeks. He grumbled and scratched his head, thinking that all of this was becoming too much for one day. "Sorry okay."

Erza glared at him, "You suck. How could you do that? You're such a meanie."

He pointed at her, "What did I do exactly? You just got angry at me for no reason."

"You looked at my-my, gah you pervert." She started to once again beat her hands against him, Naruto trying to protect himself from her heavy hits. She was crazy strong for a little girl.

"Didn't your parents teach you any manners?"

Naruto looked at her through her fists. "I don't have parents. What about you, who taught you that you should hit people for no reason?"

She stopped her furious fists and looked at him. "I don't know what happened to my parents." She lowered her hands and looked at her palms, forgetting her anger toward the whiskered boy. "I remember that before I came here, people used to look after me. A man and woman who loved me very much, but I can't remember their faces."

Naruto looked at the girl and grew worried. She had become sad very quickly and had her eyes covered by her scarlet hair. "One of the reasons I want to join a guild is so that I can find out what happened to my parents." She said as she lifted her head to show tearful eyes. "But I don't know if I can leave this place."

"Yes you can." Erza lifted her head to see Naruto with a grin on his face and a clenched fist. "You can leave this place and find your family easily. Your strong, your fists hurt like hell. Where will you go when you leave this place?"

Erza lowered her head shyly, "I-I was thinking of joining Fairy Tail. Rob Jii-San made it seem like so much fun."

"Then that is where you will go, I'm sure of it." He said as he stood up proudly and pointed to the fake horizon. "You will join Fairy Tail, find your family, and be the best." He turned back around and gave her a cheerful smile, which made her happy and nervous at the same time.

"Y-you know, you can come with me." She said as she avoided his curious stare at her statement. "I mean you owe me so, you can come to Fairy Tail and we can have an adventure just like Rob Jii-San."

"I thought you didn't like me."

"Well you can make up for it alright." She said as she moved her open hand in front of her. "Deal?"

He looked down at her hand, back up at her, and smiled. He grasped her hand and shook, "Yeah!"

"But the problem is you can't use magic, so I'd think that I'll have to be the brain and brains of our team."

"What? Please, I can fight off like a million-gazillion bad guys while you cry in a corner."

"Oh yeah, well I'll frighten of every monster in the world and fly in the sky and destroy whole countries with my attacks."

"Yeah, well I'll blow up the whole the world with a fart."

"Ew, shut up."

"No I'll be stronger than you, I promise." Naruto and Erza continued to argue all night. About who could do what and how they'll beat one another. And at the side Rob smiled, happy to see that the little boy and girl were finally happy. Even if it was by arguing with each other.

**########Hunter########**

Another ship arrived at the dock of the Tower. The cult jailers leading the new arrival of slaves into the base of the structure. Inside one of the cells were Naruto, Erza, and Rob sitting around each other as Naruto carved into the dirt.

"See, this is what I know how to write." The other two looked down to see kanji crudely written in the gravel. Rob had decided to teach Naruto about how to write the language since he apparently didn't know how to. The character was familiar to Rob, knowing that this writing was used in Fiore, but far less than the letters they usually used. And on a side note, he had very bad handwriting.

"You have very bad handwriting."

That Erza, always ready to deal the truth.

"Sh-shut up okay." He argued with the little girl with a pink hue on his face, "I wasn't taught very well."

"It's alright Naruto-kun, I'll help you through this." Rob then started to give Naruto a crash course in the local writing until the sound of the jailers leading in the new meat arrived. All the slaves cowered in the corner of their respective cells, with the three of them feeling nervous as more people passed by.

A jailer walked up to their cell and unlocked the bars, pushing them open and throwing a new child. The moment he landed he sprung back up and pounded his fists against the bars, screaming. Several minutes passed with the boy still throwing out profanity left and right.

Naruto walked up to the boy and stopped him. The boy immediately reacted and smacked his hand away and continued to pound against the bars. "Don't touch me. Who are you?"

"We are slaves here too alright, so calm down?" The boy had paid no attention to Naruto. After several more moments, Naruto got ticked off and grabbed the boy and threw him away from the bars. "Stop it that is stupid."

"Why should I? I want out of here." The boy yelled at Naruto.

"We all want out but breaking your hands isn't going to help us get out." The boy looked down at his bruised hands, injured from hitting the bars. "Have you calmed down now?" The boy reluctantly nodded his head. "All right kid, well I'm Naruto Uzumaki. Who the hell are you supposed to be?"

The boy's lifted his head, showing his eyes through his blue hair. His eyes were brown and were glaring at Naruto with contempt. Around his right eye was a strange tattoo.

"I'm Jellal Fernandes. Who are you punk?"

Naruto gained a tick mark. He knew instantly.

This guy was going to be a pain.

**########Hunter########**

**_Done_**

**_Alright so we finally get to the real start of the Fairy Tail story. These next few chapters will be about Naruto, Erza and the goonies in the tower. This will not be like ten chapters of what happened to them. I'm not Kenichi618, I'm not good with creating fresh ideas like that. At most this will take place over a three chapter phase._**

**_So since this took so long to come out, I'll do my best to make it up to you. In the week I'll let out another chapter and by Christmas I'll have Erza off the island (God I quoted Lost just now. *Sniff* miss that show.) and hopefully another chapter by the end of the year._**

**_I'll elaborate more on Hashirama, Naruto's fighting style, the rest over the chapters so just trust me._**

**_On a side note, is anyone else psyched for One Piece Film Z. I've been getting myself so hyped up for that, watching trailers, reading posts. And finally seeing the trailer where Luffy and Z both use Busoshoku: Koka to harden their arms and beat the shut out of each other._**

**_It only then hit me that I live in America and can't see the film for at least a year. I sobbed for about an hour and cried in the corner. My dogs thought I was part of the landscape and peed on me. Aw damn._**

**_Well anyway, off to work on the other chapters. Thank you for all the favorites and views. You guys kick serious ass._**

**_RxR Please_**

**_Thank You_**


	4. Cry When You Are Free

Titania and The Hunter

Chapter 4: Cry When You Are Free

Disclaimer: I own nothing. Never have. Never will.

Anybody else sad about Neji. Dude went out like a badass though.

**########Hunter########**

It slithered across the floor of the working cave. Travel past the broken slabs of rock and gravel. And avoided the multiple bare feet of the slaves marching past it.

It lifted its head and looked about at those moving around it. The child it had come to know had disappeared from its sight as it was stalking around, hoping to find a rat or bug to eat. It shot out its slit tongue into the air to get a better positioning at where it was. After a few moments of recognizing its surroundings, the snake had gotten a general direction of where the boy was.

But then, it tasted something different in the air from the rest of the slaves around the snake. Something similar to the boy that took care of it, yet different as well. It turned its body toward a slave boy throwing rocks. It slithered its way to the strange child, it scales picking up the dirt on its way. After a few seconds, it arrived at it target, lying next to his feet. It positioned itself up and hissed loud enough that it could be heard over the sound of rocks colliding.

It saw the boy look up from his work and turn his head to see the area around him. After a few seconds, it appeared that the boy had shrugged off the sound as a figment of his imagination. Just as he was about to get back to work, the snake hissed louder, finally gaining the boy's attention. The boy looked by his feet to see a violet snake looking up at him.

After a few moments of exchanging looks the boy reacted how the snake had thought he would. "Ack, snake! Go away, go away." The boy had jumped back and shook his open hands to gesture the snake to leave him alone. The snake only tilted its head and continued to gaze at the boy. The boy tried several more methods like throwing pebble, poking it, and making loud noises but the snake did not retreat. The boy let out a deep and annoyed sigh, hesitantly got down on one knee and stretched out his hand. "Just don't bite me, okay?"

The snake slide its way onto the boy's palm and wrapped itself around his hand, feeling the rough scratches and callouses from years of work as it moved. The boy stood back up and brought his palm to his eye level to see the snake better. As he brought up his hand, the snake got a better look at him as well. He had rough, blonde hair that spiked in every direction. He had strong blue eyes that felt like it was looking into a deep lake. And on each of his cheeks were three whisker, giving the appearance of scars.

The boy studied the snake intently for several moments. Looking at the reptilian from each angle his hand could make, the snake constantly looking at him as he did. He made some space between him and the snake in his hand and grinned. "Well aren't you pretty. It is kind of weird to see a snake here though, rare to see an animal in general. "He raised an eyebrow and gave a questioning look, "You aren't starved so you have been fed. Who has been feeding you little gu-" the boy was continuing his questioning if the silent animal until he was comically kicked in the face.

The snake was thrown in the air as the strange boy skidded on the floor, a bump on his head. The reptilian had no change in expression or movement as it flew up in the air, rotating around an axis. As it fell back to Earthland, it landed in another, more familiar pair of hands. It immediately got comfortable and started tightening itself safely around his hand. It was brought up to his face where it proceeded to nuzzle into his cheek. The boy nuzzled back content, until his eyes shot back up in anger.

"Hey, I don't want to see you touch her ever again, you hear me!" The maroon haired boy yelled with an accusing finger at the blonde kid he had just introduced to the concrete. Said kid lifted himself up and glared daggers at the slanted eyed child that had kicked him.

"Hey, why the hell did you kick me you asshole? If you wanted the snake then you can have it." He said with a huff before he dodged a rock aimed at his face. He balanced himself to see the snake boy with his hand outstretched after throwing the stone. "What the hell was that for?"

"Don't call her an 'it' you freak. Her name in Cuberos and she is my closest friend." He looked down at his hand to see the snake looking up at him with something akin to happiness. He smiled at the snake.

The blonde kid looked at the strange boy with a deadpan stare. "So your friend is a snake, well I hope you two are happy together." He said as he clapped his hands in mock support.

The slanted eyed kid pointed at the whiskered boy, "Hey we aren't like that you douche." He then turned his head and scratched the purple snake's underside, "Besides, if she was in your hands any longer she might catch a disease by a cat cosplayer." He said with a wry grin hidden by his position.

The blonde boy grew furious and steamed rang from his ears. He marched toward the snake boy and pointed at him, "Hey! I am not a kitty cosplayer. Just because Milli-chan likes to call me Neko-Man sometimes doesn't mean anything. I just do that to cheer her up."

"Pfft, whatever Catman." He continued to pet the snake.

"And dammit my name is not Catman, it is Naruto Uzumaki. Alright!" He yelled as he jabbed his thumb at himself to emphasize his point. "We can't all be like you, Snake-boy ." He said as he let out a condescending chuckle. Getting the snake boy to stand up and smash his forehead with Naruto.

"It's not! My name is Erik!" He said as he tried to win in this game of push between him and the blonde boy; sparks flying between their eyes.

"You are just a snake man to me, little boy!" Naruto had momentarily forced Erik back, a smug smirk on his face as he was winning. Until Erik started pushing back, eyes furious.

"It's not little boy, baby bitch. I'm probably older than you punk."

"No way, I turned twelve a few weeks ago. I'm so older." He thought he had won until he saw Erik grow a bigger smirk.

"Oh-ho, so I do win. I'm twelve and a half. So you must refer to me as Erik-sama-senpai." The boys continued their push until they both retracted. They both rubbed their red foreheads to ease the pain. After Naruto had cooled down his head he turned to the crimson haired boy.

"See, you must be younger, only little kids use the excuse of months to win an argument of age."

"Hey, just because you are a little kid, doesn't mean we all have shriveled sacks like you. So refer to me in respect brat!" Erik smirked at the boy that had insulted his snake friend by touching her.

"Sure. 'Respect'. So what should I call you?" He said with a sarcastic tone layered over his voice. "Snake-eyes? Slithers? Maybe I should just call you King Cobra!" He said as a tick mark grew on his head at the annoyance the slightly older boy was causing him.

"That's right." Erik snapped his fingers and pointed a finger in a superior manner. "I'm the Cobra, bitch. The best and deadliest of snakes. So watch yourself or I'll poison you dead, punk" he growled as he raised his hands and separated his fingers to mock snake fangs.

"Try it and I'll pull your fangs out, asshole." Naruto lifted his middle finger and growled back. The boys continued this stare off until they heard the bell, both turned around and walked off. Naruto turned his head and addressed the new boy he met, "Watch yourself man. Don't think I'll lose to anyone like you, got it."

Erik smirked at the accusation of a challenge by the whiskered kid. "Please, if you touch Cuberos again, I'll kick your ass from half way around Earthland and back." Erik continued his march back to his cell where his groups of misfit friends were at. When he arrived he saw the silent boy laying on the floor and the girl looking through the bars. At the corner, the long nosed boy was kicking the dirt around. And finally, in the middle of the cell was the heavy set boy throwing rocks around. As he sat in front of him the fat, orange haired boy acknowledged his arrival.

"Erik-San, you are back." The boy seemed honestly happy that he came back. He looked at him with expectance, "Any news?" He bounced in place.

The snake boy continued to look at the snake, "Sorry Richard. No dice." He looked back up at the large boy, seeing that the kid had grown a depressed visage. "I promise I'll tell you if I can find your brother Wally. But until then," he reached into his pocket and pulled out a fresh spud he stole from the kitchen and tossed it to the boy, "Enjoy."

Richard gained a happier expression after receiving the potato. Even if he couldn't find his brother, a potato always got him out of his funk. He peeled the starch and took a bite. He looked back up and saw that the reptilian lover had a thought in his head as he took care of the snake. "Is something wrong, Erik-San?" He asked the boy as he chewed on the raw food, some skin getting stuck in his teeth.

The slanted eyed boy was brought out of his funk from the sudden question. "Oh, I-it is nothing Richard." He looked back down and pet the snake as she nuzzled his palm. "I just met some really annoying asshole" he said with a smirk.

**########Hunter########**

Naruto rubbed the back of his head and yawned from fatigue. This was getting tiring, working like this every day. He had grown a lot stronger and bigger since he was a six year old all that time ago. Although from what Rob-jichan, he was still pretty short for someone his age. But he had to keep up his appearance around his friends as a strong kid.

Speaking of which, he had just separated off from the large group of slaves walking back. He moved past the bars and saw all of his friends playing in the center, with Rob-jichan at the side watching them. Naruto grew a confident grin and strolled toward his friends. "Hey guys." He said with a wave if his hand.

All six of them raised their heads and looked to the new arrival. They saw it was him and smiled. The older members of the group waved to him as the little boy and girl ran up to him, the girl hugging his chest. "Ne, Na-chan, where were you? Er-chan and everyone were worried when you didn't make it back in time." The little girl with a kitten pout and brown hair looked up at the older boy.

He grew a cheeky grin and a throaty chuckle, "Ha ha, Milli-chan, why would you worry? I was just caught up by this big snake that wanted to stop and eat me." He looked back down to see the little boy and girl look at him in worry. "But I totally kicked its but and skinned it alive, because I will always be victorious." He said as he raised his fist in the air.

"Yeah!" The boy and girl cheered at their older brother figure's tale. The dark-skinned boy with brightly combed yellow hair looked up at Naruto. "Hey Nii-San, are you sure you are okay? That sounds really scary." The eight year old shook on his knees until Naruto rested his hand atop the boy's head.

"C'mon Shō, have a little faith in your older bro, kay." He said with a grin as the little boy wiped his tear and smiled up at the boy. He had to tell tall tales to calm down the little boy and girl when they were frantic. Naruto would get scared when he was approached by jailers and such, but he made a big façade in the eyes of the kids to raise their hopes. Anything he could do to make this hellish experience easier for them.

Naruto lead the two of them back to the group that was eyeing him with a questioning gaze. He smirked and shrugged his shoulders, not arguing that he may have been making an idiot of himself through this stories he told. They all chuckled and looked back at the center where they were writing something in the dirt. "What are you guys doing?"

Wally lifted his head full of black hair and chuckled, "We're playing Tic-Tac-Toe. Simon and I got our butts handed to us by these two here." He and the kid with a mop of black hair both mildly glared at the blue and red haired kids laughing to themselves. After the little fit they had, the two of them readjusted and went back to staring intently at the floor. Wally looked to Naruto as he sat beside him. "Who do you think will win this?"

Naruto shrugged and scratched his scalp and turned to Simon. "I have no idea. What about you Simon, any ideas?"

Simon looked between the two and then back at him. "Under usual circumstances I think Jellal would win, him having more experience in games like chess. But Erza has a blazing determination to win this little tournament and we know she doesn't give up." He made an inquiring look at Naruto who nodded sagely at the assumption. "Or you know, it could be that she picked the 'x's and they always win."

Jellal turned to the peanut gallery and yelled, "Alright, we get it. Shut up already I'm thinking." He looked back at the dirt and went over his options to win. He thought through each possible move and strategy he could make. Then it hit him that she boxed him in with 'x's while he was distracted by the idiots talking. His face blanked and he lowered his gaze in defeat as the slave girl made the last x and came out victorious.

"I Win." She yelled as she raised her hands in victory, jumping up and down in place. The others joined her in her celebration as Naruto kneeled down and patted Jellal's back.

"It's alright buddy, I lost to her so many times I can't even count anymore." He tried to cheer him up only leading to the blue boy to give him a long stare.

"Duh Naruto. You lose to everyone when it comes to strategy games. You are the dumbest here." Naruto pouted at the accusation from his blue friend, even if it was true. He decided to leave the boy to mope in annual grief and walked next to his oldest friend.

"We have a winner. Ladies and Gentlemen, I give you, the undefeated champion, Erza Scarlet." He raised her hand and every one of their family in the cell clapped, even Jellal after abandoning his losing aura. She grew a big smile on her face and bowed.

"What do I get? What do I get?" Erza questioned the rest of the group in a cheerful voice. The group shrugged, not actually thinking of what the prize was for winning. Just as the girl's excitement was about to die down, Rob walked up and picked her up, earning a quick squeal.

He placed her on his shoulders and began running around laughing. "The winner gets to fly in the air, congratulations." The rest of the group followed in a circle as the old man ran around, the little girl cheering in glee as her grandpa played with her.

Naruto followed behind, laughing at Erza's boundless happiness at the moment. Remembering the first time Rob had done that for the both of them. Despite being so old, the man was still strong and spry.

After a few more minutes, Rob finally lowered the girl to the ground, where she decided to gather with her friends again. He watched from his corner as all of them started to talk about what had happened today. Jellal and Simon telling about the work they did. Shō talking about what he and 'Nee-San' had eaten today. And finally, Naruto exaggerating his story of how he interacted with Erik aka 'The Snake King'.

Rob couldn't help but chuckle from his spot as the others laughed and gasped as Naruto faked the idea of being eaten by a giant snake and blowing it up from the inside. He had noticed that these kids had done their best to make a bad situation good. playing games and talking with each other. Listening to some of Rob's old tales about Fairy Tail. Rob grew a nostalgic look at seeing how much that awkward little boy had grown over the last 6 years.

He played with Erza and Jellal a lot when they were together as kids. Having little rivalries with them to see who was the best. He sometimes won when it came to strength games and outdoing each other. But he sucked on a whole different level when it came to strategy and thinking games. That was probably the result of not having a very thorough education growing up. Even his make-shift lessons in the cell could only do so much.

But that never stopped the boy from doing what he wanted. Whatever he couldn't do correctly, he did in his own way. It was actually very commendable for someone his age to fight through any problems he found.

Well except for his writing ability, that still sucked even now.

Rob was brought out of his musings when he saw the whole group cheer as Naruto and Simon laid on their bellies and brought their hands up from their elbows. They interlocked and stared at each other intensively until Milliana let go of their hands and they started arm wrestling. A few cheers and whoops were heard from the group as the two continued their mock battle.

As it appeared that Simon was gaining the advantage, Naruto was struggling to hold it up. Even though Naruto was older by a few months, Simon had a larger frame then him and could lift the heavier rocks others couldn't. It was amazing how people as young as these kids were so strong. Naruto was holding up his hand only a few degrees away from where they started and smirked.

Naruto calmed his mind and controlled his breathing. He felt his power travel through his body and into his hands. He smirked as he eyed Simon, who immediately knew what that evil grin meant. Naruto started to grunt as he overtook Simon in strength. After several moments of futile effort, Naruto smacked Simon's hand into the dirt and stood cheering.

Rob chuckled as he saw Naruto use his Chakra to win the game. He remembered several years ago that Naruto was trying to utilize the power that his demon friend was teaching him in his cell. After many weeks of trying to bring up the dormant power, Naruto was finally able to call on some of his own strength.

Rob supervised Naruto when he tried to do this. To see if he could find any change in Naruto's presence when he did. Rob had concluded that Naruto's power-up was there, but was extremely rough. That with the training and control he has, at most, he could enhance his power by a small factor. When Naruto tested this theory, he nearly broke his hand on the wall, saying he wanted to see if he could destroy it.

Rob had let out a very deep sigh at remembering his effort to explain the slight enhancement to the seven year old at that time. And what he should use that power for.

**#########Hunter########**

_"Ow, ow, ow, ow." Naruto held onto his right hand that had comically swelled and turned deep red from the pain of hitting the wall. Rob was cooling the hand down by taking some of his rationed water and pouring it onto another bandage he made from his shirt. Erza and Jellal were sitting next to Naruto as he was treated by his parental figure. "I really thought that would work." He said, trying to sound confident like he didn't just make himself look stupid in front of everyone._

_"Yes, well" Rob said as he put his attention to wrapping the boy's hand, "don't do it again okay. You're not strong enough yet." He finished the wrapping and let the boy's hand go. Phew, it was hard to try being medical when you couldn't use your magic to heal the biggest problem child._

_Jellal looked at the hand of the former Jinchūriki. Then from the hand, he looked up at the wall he hit and thought for a minute. "Maybe I should try? I bet I'll break the wall on my first hit." He said excitingly as Naruto stood back up behind him._

_"Oh yeah, well that was a practice punch. I'll break it down the next time I try." He said as he got his fist back like he was going to punch again._

_"No, I'll break the wall." Jellal said as Erza then jumped up and stood beside them._

_"Me too. Me too. I'm gonna try." All three of them reeled their fists back._

_"BAKAS!" Rob karate chopped all three of their heads in an instant. All three of them crouched down, holding their respective thumping bumps on their heads. "Don't even try that!"_

_"Ow, why not Rob-jisan?" Jellal asked with a painful tear in his eye, Erza whimpering and Naruto clutching both his head and the throbbing hand that just punched the wall. "If we could break the wall, we could run out."_

_"Well first off, no one breaks a wall with just a punch." Rob said with a matter of fact tone that got all three children to gain big surprised eyes. "And second, you all are not strong enough to do anything like that yet."_

_All three of them looked between each other. Erza looked up at the former Fairy Mage, "Well, how do we get strong Jii-San?"_

_Rob looked at the children, them leaned back and rubbed his chin in thought. He looked back at them, thinking he had just come up with the best solution to the question. "When I was in Fairy Tail, I had many friends that I spent time with almost every day. We joked, had fun, and played around. I would get kicked in the face and then I would bust a bottle over Makky's short head. Oh my god that was fun." Rob said as he laughed at the memory of the midget using __Titan__ after that and destroyed the guild hall._

_The three little stooges listened to his story, also sweat dropping at the fact that the elder had broken a bottle over his friend's head._

_"I thought that those days of fooling around would last forever. But after sometime I found that there are people out there who are stronger then you are. And when you aren't strong enough to save your friends, you can't help but regret what could have happened." He remembered how Makarov and the group had felt when they heard of the Tonewa incident. How they were devastated that they couldn't help their ninja friends from getting hurt._

_Rob looked into the eyes of the children and gave a firm determination. "You have to become strong so you can keep the people you love safe. And so you can stop anyone who wants to hurt them, even if they are stronger." He smiled at the three children. "That is how we can be strong."_

_The slave kids were enlightened by his words and looked between the three of them with grins._

_Erza stood up, "I'll become strong and make sure the two of you are safe."_

_Jellal stood up, "No way. I'll become the strongest out of all of us. Just you watch."_

_Naruto stood up with a cheeky grin, "Oh really. Well I'm sorry but I'll be the best. The strongest, fastest, best Mage that anyone had ever seen. I'll show the both of you that no matter what comes at me, I'll never get hurt." He said as he put his hands on his sides and let out a long, throaty laugh._

_Jellal smacked Naruto's bandaged hand that caused him to fall to his knees cradling it, throwing out swears in every direction._

_Rob sweat dropped at their antics. They had a long way to go._

**########Hunter########**

And although Naruto was not a juggernaut with that power, it did help in his work by helping him stay strong. He helped the other kids a lot by working with them in their fields as well. It helped the others a lot when they saw him stand back up after working so hard, giving them the hope that they could make it through this.

He then reminisced on all the moments when the other kids arrived in their cell as well.

How Wally had been yelling about how he wanted to see his brother again. And when he cried that whole first night Naruto, Jellal and Erza tried to cheer him up any way they could. They still to this day tried to help him find his brother when they could.

And how Simon jumped right back up after being thrown in and attacked the jailer. They didn't respond to kindly to that and had shocked him until he started to yell. Surprisingly, Erza was the one who jumped into the attack's path and took the last of it. After the bastards had left, Jellal, Wally, and Naruto checked on them while Rob tried to heal them the best he could. Afterwards Erza walked up to Simon and cheered him up, causing the boy to blush a brilliant red.

Rob would never say, but he had spotted Naruto give a jealous pout at the attention Simon was getting.

Oh, he laughed so hard that day.

Finally, only about a year ago, Milliana and Shō were brought into the Tower. Immediately the two of them had balled their eyes out at the situation. After a while, they all tried to cheer them up, but nothing was working. Until Erza had hugged Shō and told him that she would protect him. Shō had cried into her little chest for the rest of night.

But Milliana was not as well convinced. At least at first...

**########Hunter########**

_It was growing into night in the tower. Most of the slaves had been in their cells while some were to do extra work. In one cell, a little girl's sniffling and sobbing could still be heard._

_Milliana had sat away from the rest of the kid's, rubbing her swollen red eyes away from any tears. The rest of the kids and Rob could only look on in sadness. They all gave looks at each other at what they could do to cheer her up. They had tried everything they could, but no result had been shown from their work. Finally Naruto stood up and marched up in front of the girl. She looked up at the eleven year old who immediately brought her into a tight hug._

_"It will be alright, I promise." He said as he brought his face away to look directly into her eyes, that were staring right at him. "You won't be hurt by anyone here. We will protect you, because we are all we have of each other. Okay?" He tried to explain to the little seven year old who only stared at him with big, mesmerized eyes. Naruto moved his head side to side, the girl following along with his movements. She reached up and patted his cheek, earning a confused look from everyone watching her._

_The little girl gave a large, warm smile and laughed. "Kitty. You're a Kitty." Naruto looked at the girl with a surprised look on his face. The others were holding back a slight giggle._

_"W-what? I'm not a kitty." The boy stated with a strong determination._

_"Yes you are." She said with no change in her happy expression. "You have whiskers so you are a kitty."_

_"W-what." He looked to his side to see everyone he knew stifling a laugh with their hands to their mouths. He looked back and was going to argue with the little girl, only to go silent when he saw her huge eyes look up at him. Naruto let out a long sigh and grabbed the bridged of his nose._

_"I. Am. Not. A. Kitty!" He said sternly, getting the attention of all those present as he stood up proudly with his hands up victoriously. "I Am Neko-Man. Nyan!" He said, his chest puffed out in pride. His friends looked at him with dropped jaws, not believing what they had just seen. Milliana had started clapping and cheering, causing Naruto to continue his foolish antics to get the girl to laugh._

_Soon afterwards, the rest of their group had started laughing as well. Jellal and Simon posed as villains for Neko-Man to defeat in his little act. They had played that game the whole night, to cheer up the two new additions to their group._

**########Hunter########**

Rob had been so preoccupied with his memories that he didn't see that it was already night time. He looked around and saw that the youngest members had already fallen asleep. The older kids had stayed up to talk some more. About their dreams and possibilities when they were finally free.

Wally had wanted to find his older brother again. When he did, they would probably open a farm and find families together. It was a simple but good dream to go by.

Simon had decided that he wanted to join the Rune Knights. He wanted to use his latent magic power to help the world in any way he could. And he just wanted to help as many people as possible.

Jellal was dreaming big. He wanted to travel the whole of Earthland. He wanted to see the mountainous ranges of Bosco and Seven. And travel the icy terrain of Iceberg. And then move around the massive country in the Pergrande Kingdom and come back. Maybe even past that land and see everything he could. He never wanted to be bound by anything.

And they all knew what Erza and Naruto's dream was. They were going to join the infamous Fairy Tail Guild. Travel around the country and become famous and strong. And between the two of them, try to find Erza's parents in that big world out there.

As they all yawned and prepared for bed, they got into their special places on the floor. Simon curled up near the soft ground by a rock. Wally sprawled out of the floor by the wall. Jellal propped his back onto the wall and dozed off. Naruto and Erza lay next to each other in opposite directions. Rob found it cute that after so long those two had become such good friends that they trusted each other to be by their side at all times.

He remembered all the arguments and playful yelling between the two of them. How Naruto hugged and comforted Erza if she was ever hurt. And how Erza helped Naruto if he ever worked himself ragged. But the closest moment between the two of them was a moment Rob would never forget in the rest of his life.

The day Erza got her last name.

**########Hunter########**

_Rob arrived back at the cell after a long slave day. He could feel his arms and back ache as he stretched out. He walked past the open bars to a fairly peculiar sight. Naruto, Jellal, Erza and Wally were all sitting around in a rough circle. Naruto was in deep thought; Jellal and Wally were watching him with a judging eye while Erza was fidgeting in place. Rob was thinking of asking them what they were doing but he had never seen Naruto put so much thought into a subject before._

_Naruto raised his head and said with a grin "I know, we'll call her Ramuphusomas. That is a cool name." As Naruto looked to his friends for confirmation, he was shot down as Jellal and Wally slapped the idea away with a shake of their heads. "What? It sounds cool."_

_Jellal shook his head, "No it doesn't. It sounds like gibberish. It has to be something real."_

_Naruto grew red in anger, "Well we have nothing after an hour, so if there are any good ideas, go ahead." Naruto tried his best to calm himself down. But it is hard for a nine-year old to take so much rejection and keep face._

_"Um, what are you doing?" Rob made himself known to the little group of growing kids. They all looked up at him, the boys were angry and Erza was red with embarrassment._

_"Rob-ojisan, we have a problem that we just can't solve." Jellal said as the talk man for the group. "We have just found a horrible problem that we can't let rest any longer."_

_"What?"_

_"I-it's nothing Jii-San" Erza said as she tried to change the topic and switch the attention away from her. The little eight-year old red head still had a problem when everyone put their attention on her. _

_"It turns out Erza here" Naruto said as he started to build up the tension, "doesn't have a last name." He pointed at the girl in question, who had a blush on her face similar to her hair as she tried to pound her fists into her blonde friends face. "I always thought that she never said her last name because she was embarrassed, but she doesn't have one."_

_"I-it's not like it matters." Erza said as she tried to avoid eye contact with her friends out of embarrassment and shame. "I'm just Erza anyway."_

_"No. No you are not just Erza." Naruto said almost furiously. "You are so cool and nice, so it is just mean that you can't have a last name like the rest of us." Naruto said as he stood up to emphasize his point and leave no room for argument. "Which is why I say we should call her Amietoca. It sounds like it works well with Erza." He said hoping to get the approval of the rest of the team._

_"Naruto we are not calling her Erza Amietoca. It sounds like we are making fun of her." Wally pitched in from beside Jellal who was nodding his head in agreement. "You just want to call her that because you have a horrible naming sense."_

_"What? I don't suck with names."_

_"Your name is Naruto. How can you be taken seriously when you are named after a fish cake?"_

_"For the last damn time, what the hell is a fish cake?" Naruto said as he grew peeved at their continued joking of whatever cake thing this was._

_"It is what you are. Stupid." Jellal said as he and Naruto started butting heads. They stayed like that until they separated and sat down, a dark cloud coming over the boys at their failure to help their friend. "We can't think of anything. It's useless."_

_Rob looked on at the boys in slight worry and understanding. From his experience with Makarov and Porlyusica, giving girls an appropriate name was hard. Either you couldn't quite find the right word for them, or every idea you had was just not worth it. He looked down at Erza, who even though she was protesting, had quickly gained a saddened look only to abandon it almost instantly. _

_Naruto was slowly nodding his head at what his friend/brother/rival had said. He looked back up to see that Erza was slowly breathing out, the embarrassing tension fading as they stopped arguing about her. He stared at her for a few more seconds until he stood up and started walking. Everyone was watching him as he walked behind Erza and put his hands in her hair, earning a slight squeak of surprise from the girl. He looked like he was studying her head; ignoring the request of the girl to stop until a few moments he looked up from her scalp. _

_"What about her hair?" He earned a confused look from everyone present, even the girl who couldn't look directly behind her due to her friend's position. "She has really nice hair, so maybe we should name her after it."_

_"Hey yeah!" Jellal sold up at the surprisingly smart idea from his fellow slave. "That's a great idea."_

_"Okay," Naruto grinned with closed eyes from behind Erza "we will call her Erza Red from now on." He reopened his eyes to see everybody giving him a blank, emotionless stare. Like he had just gone up in front of an entire town and proclaimed he was an idiot. "What?" _

_Wally kept his blank stare, "We are not calling her that."_

_"Why not?" _

_Jellal joined the explanation. "Because it sounds stupid. Besides her hair isn't just red, it is a different shade of normal red." _

_Naruto looked at the two of them a nursed a tick mark growing at the back of his head from their nit-picking. "Isn't red just red?" _

_"No, her hair is more maroon or crimson then just red." Wally said to the former blond weapon trying to explain their view. _

_Jellal grabbed his chin in thought and made humming noises. "I think her hair is something different from crimson. Maybe vermillion or..or scarlet maybe." _

_Naruto widened his eyes in realization at what the tattooed boy had just said in his musings. "Wa-wait, what was that? That sounded good. Scarlet? Scarlet! Yeah, that's it!" The others looked up at him in shock as he put his hands on her shoulders and gained a massive grin."Erza Scarlet! That sounds awesome! _

_Jellal listened to his friend's idea from his suggestion and made a face of realization. "Yeah, Scarlet works for her. It's the color of her hair, so we'll never forget." He stood up and raised his arms cheering, "Meet Erza Scarlet! Future Mage of Fairy Tail!" _

_"YEAH!" Wally and Naruto jumped in the air in excitement. Naruto turned back to Erza and looked her in the eyes. "Is that alright Erza? Do you like that name?" He made his point by making pleading eyes, not wanting to go back and think of more names. _

_Erza was still shell shocked by the sudden excitement that she barely realized Naruto was talking to her. She lifted her hands and ran her fingers softly in her hair. She softened her eyes and said faintly. "Erza Scarlet..." She looked back up at the big eyes of her friends, waiting for her opinion on the new name. She smiled and nodded her head with a faint blush and small tears in her eyes. _

_The boys cheered and ran around in celebration. Jellal and Naruto had a small argument of who actually named her. But that was quickly abandoned as they decided to start saying her new, full name in rapid succession. Erza ignored the boys who were on cloud nine and walked up to her grandfather who was still surprised of the actions that had just occurred. "Hey, ojisan, what do you think of my new name?" She said with hope obvious in her voice._

_Rob had closed his eyes but that was only to hold back the possibility of tears coming out if his eyes. This was the first time in many years that he had seen the girl with so much joy and life in her eyes. He wiped his arm over his face and bent down, ruffling her hair in the process. "I think it is beautiful, Erza-chan." The girl beamed a bright smile at her grandfather._

**########Hunter########**

Rob laughed lightly and settled into the rock wall besides Jellal. He looked around at the kids he had seen grow up so much over the last few years. Some he only knew for a few years. Some he had seen change for over a decade.

Rob closed his eyes and drifted off. He knew that these kids could take good care of themselves.

**########Hunter########**

Visions of bodies piled up in front of his eyes once again. His hands drenched in the foreign blood of the ninja around him. His injuries burning away and fading like they always did.

Danzō calling from atop the cliff the formation the ninja should take. The bull and cat plowing through the futile attacks of their enemies. Immensely powerful attacks getting thrown out in every direction.

Naruto once again dreamt of the fights and battles that took place in his subconsciousness. Over the last six years, every few nights the war would play over in his dreams. Not constantly, or even the whole war each time. But enough of the battle that he could remember each moment to a fine point. But no matter what part played in his head, it always needed the same.

With the form of the familiar fox towering over him fading away. He could see that Kurama had noticed his presence and acknowledged that he was there. The demon would slightly turn and say the same thing every time.

**_"Heh, didn't want you to see me like this kid. Thought you would sleep through this and just wake up happy. But we're never this lucky, huh. I guess you probably won't hear everything I say. Listen close kid."_**

Kurama would turn down and address him as he knew that his consciousness was fading at that moment.

**_"The day will come that you be set free. You will probably go through a lot of trials, and pain. But hey, that is just the way things go."_** _His body was fading, leaving only his upper body._ **_"You will probably want to cry sometimes, but don't. That will show that you can't take it. Take the pain, carry it, and find what you can protect. And then..."_**

Nothing. He couldn't hear what he was saying as his body faded. Naruto tried the best he could to listen to what Kurama said as he faded away, but he just couldn't listen to his final words. And that felt worse than anything else Naruto had ever done.

He knew that those last words were important. That they carried with them a message that affected Naruto even though he couldn't hear it.

And so Naruto was forced to lay there, in his dream, unable to do anything to affect what played out. Once again listening to the last words of his friend that just fell on deaf ears.

**########Hunter########**

Erza woke up to the sound of the cult members forcing the slaves back to work. She looked around to see the others slaves rustling awake just like her. They were moving out to the daily grind before being forced out by the pain of torture. Erza looked down and saw that Naruto was still rustling, having another nightmare like he had for several years.

Erza nudged him awake, Naruto jerking awake with a cold sweat. She softened her gaze, knowing that Naruto was in great pain trying to be a leader. He looked up at her to see that she was there, ready to help him if it became too much.

"It's alright." She said with a small, soft smile.

He calmed down and settled back down before he started standing up. "I know." He said without looking at her. She would be offended by anyone else, but she knew that even those little thanks were heartfelt.

He breathed out and turned to her, his hand out and a smile on his face. "C'mon."

Erza nodded and took his hand to stand up.

**########Hunter########**

Shō grabbed another boulder and put it inside the wheel cart, carried off by a middle aged man. He slowly breathed out and turned around, trying to pick up another heavy rock. He tried but his arms wobbled from the weight. His knees buckled and dropped the boulder back into the pile.

He set himself back up to pick up the rock. He wasn't going to fail; he was going to be strong. His thoughts traveled to the older kids in his group.

Milliana had made their experience here less horrible by brightening the mood. Getting the rest of their friends to laugh and listen to them.

Simon could easily lift several of these rocks without becoming strained. And he could do this work for a good hour.

Wally always had kid around, helping Shō when he needed it. It helped him out of the view if the jailers and stopped them from questioning him on his work.

Jellal was possibly the smartest person he had ever met. Thinking of ways to play the games and do the work as best possible. He also thought of escape plans with Naruto a lot until the example last year.

Naruto and Erza were what he wished to be like. Erza was the kind Nee-San that watched over him. She helped him through all the pain and worry when he first came. And Naruto always treated him with admiration and respect. He kept telling him that he was going to be very strong one day.

Shō continued working and thought of what he could do. He wasn't very strong, smart, or cherry like the rest of them. He couldn't lead and think through plans like they could. He couldn't be like any if them. He would be stuck in this hell forever.

Sho lifted another rock and saw that water was falling on them. He noticed that he was crying again after all this thinking. Even if they played and joked, they were still stuck here. Even when they tried to make things easier, they were still doing slave work.

Shō held back his tears. He sniffed hard to hold back the runny nose accompanying those tears. He lifted another rock and saw a small covered vent. Shō wiped his eyes and looked around him, noticing that most of the slaves were working around the corner.

Shō walked over to the vent and lifted the barricade, revealing a deep tunnel that went on farther then he could see. Shō picked up a small pebble and through it inside the hole, hearing the echo as the pebble skipped on the rock.

Shō slowly grew a big smile and then hid it, turning around to make sure no one was watching. He lifted the barricade up again and covered the hole. He continued his work for the rest of the time as he kept a small smile hidden on his face.

He had found a way to help everyone.

He had found a way out of the Tower of Heaven.

**########Hunter########**

"You found what?" Erza whispered to the little brown skinned boy that had come to her during their shared work at the big cave. It was close to the time where the slaves were sent back to their cells. Shō had been hiding this secret in all day and could not hold it back anymore. So he told the person he was closest to, his Nee-San.

"I told you, I found a way out of the Tower." He whispered back with a big smile while Erza tried her best to keep the boy silent. "It's a little tunnel at the end of the work way that goes into the vents."

"Don't talk about this to the others until we come back alright." She said as Shō nodded his head. "This is a secret alright."

"What's the secret?" Erza blanked as the other kids had appeared almost out of the air behind her. She grumbled about the lack of privacy in the place and brought them closer. She started to explain the information that Shō had found. The others had all gasped at the mention of the tunnel.

"We could escape? Really?" Milliana said as she tried her best not to jump up and down. She looked around at the others, who all had looks of dread on their faces. "What's wrong?"

"Milli, it's not best that we talk about this. It could end badly." Wally said to the little girl while she looked like she was about to argue when Jellal interrupted.

"Milliana, do you remember what happened last year?" Milliana and Shō both cringed at the mention of that horrible act the jailers did last year.

**########Hunter########**

_The kids looked on as Rob argued with Naruto and Jellal while quietly yelling. They both argued that they should be working on ideas to escape this hell hole while they still could. They should be working to help the two kids that had just joined their group only several days ago._

_The kids had worried about why their grandfather had always told them that it was a bad idea to escape. How this pain and torture they went through every day was better than the alternative. And when Naruto and Jellal had decided to ask why this was, they were interrupted. By a loud command sent over the speaker lacrima._

_"Attention all workers, please refer to the center cave. Attention all workers, please refer to the center cave."_

_The slaves had grown tired of their emphasis on the word 'worker'. Like they had a choice in the position they were in. The slaves looked through the bars to see what the jailers were referring to._

_At the bottom center of the cave was the head jailer with three beaten slaves on their knees. One of them was a woman, black hair that went past her shoulders. The other was a man, with short brown hair that didn't even pass his forehead. And lastly was a little boy about their age. He had a shaven head a black hair and jutted yellow eyebrows. But his most distinguishing feature was his long, hooked nose that went well past his face._

_The jailer walked back and forth of them, like a parent in front of his undisciplined children. He held the speaker lacrima in his hand and a spear in his other. He was shaking his head in disappointment as he thought of what to say to the masses. He stopped his trench walk and brought the speaker to his mouth._

_"I just don't know what to say to all of you. I mean, I thought I have been lenient and kind all this time. I've given you food, clothes, and a place to live. And over everything else, I have given a purpose for your useless lives." He said as his face grew angry and distorted, veins appearing on his face._

_He walked behind the slaves and continued his tirade. "And we have you all trying to leave this place when you need to work. I mean when I give people all of this and they take it for granted, I just get so.." He violently stabbed the man in the side of the head with the sharp end of the spear. Some of the slaves in the tower gasped loudly at the act, Milliana burying her face in the side of Simon's chest. He removed the spear and stepped on the body._

_"And if I can't get results for my kindness, Zeref knows what I'll do." He tossed the spear up and grabbed its end, spun around and aimed at the woman's face. A massive fireball exploded on her head, smoke rising from that spot on her shoulders. Her dead body fell backward as the smoke covered up what happened to the head. The boy flinched and shook as the angry cult master walked forward to him._

_The jailer probed his spear on his back and bent down. He looked the child in the eye as the boy nearly wet himself in fear. The jailer slowly grew a vile grin at the result his actions had. "You can't run from here. You will never escape our clutches. You just aren't fast enough to get away." He leaned in even closer into the boys shaking face, "And you never will." He stood back up as two jailers grabbed the boy by his arms and took him back to his cell._

_"I really don't want to have to deal with any more of these running away problems we have. Because when we do, I'll have to make an example for you." The master looked around at the fearful faces of every slave he could see. "Goodnight."_

_The jailer walked away from the center as more men came and grabbed the two dead bodies. Rob looked down at the effect that sight had on the children. Milliana and Shō were sobbing into Simon's and Erza's side. Wally and Simon barely held back tears at the actions that just took place. Erza was quietly crying, wiping her eyes of any tears that came up. Jellal was shaking as he held onto the bars for support._

_Rob finally looked at Naruto, who was staring viciously at the retreating form of the head jailer. He had experienced the need to escape so many times in his past. But unlike when he was a child, these men didn't see him as a one-and-only weapon. He turned around and looked up at Rob. Rob stared back at Naruto before opening his eyes, "I don't want to see you get killed. Anything but that."_

_Naruto averted his eyes and looked down at his feet. He tryed to keep his anger under control. Finally understanding why Rob-jichan was always stopping them._

**########Hunter########**

All of them were shaking at the memory of that day. Since then, all of the slaves in the tower had resigned to their fate. Even the over excited children had been crestfallen for some time after that.

But here it was a possible chance to run. A chance to finally get out of the tower. To be free for the first time in years.

"But we won't be running like they did. We can sneak through there and jump on one of the ships when they go out to grab more people." Shō said as he tried to strength his reasoning while they resumed working.

"Shō, are you sure about this?" Simon asked as he moved the cart past them. Shō nodded his head.

"But if we fail, we'll probably be killed." Wally said as he lifted a stone over the pile. The rest of the group heard his reasoning and considered the circumstances.

"But if we don't take this chance, we'll be here forever. We have to try." Jellal said as he cracked the rocks with a pick-axe.

"I don't know. Naruto, what do you think?" Erza turned her head to her blonde friend and saw that his eyes were covered by his hair. "Naruto?"

"Please, we have to do this now, while we still have the chance." Shō said as he stood on top of a pile of rocks. "If we wait any longer, then we wi-oh no!" Shō tried to grab the rock he dropped as it rolled down the makeshift hill. The others were silent as the rock fell to the floor, causing dust to come up onto a jailers rob.

The jailer looked down at his now dust robe. He followed the still fresh dirt trail to the top, with a little boy there with his arms out. The boy was shaking and had tears well up in his eyes. The jailer knew that the boy only dropped the rock, but whatever he could do to assert his position helped.

"What do we have here?" He said as he kicked the hills base, causing the boy to fall down and roll to the man's feet. The boy looked up as he held his scratched knee in pain. "Were you try to attack just know?"

"N-n-no s-si-sir, I-I wa-wasn't tr-trying t-t-to." Shō shook in terror at the evil smile the man was leering.

"But it is so-o-o-o obvious that you were trying to kill me by throwing that rock." He yelled out as he played his fake wounds, earning whimpers from the surrounding slaves and laughs from the other guards. "And because of that, I'm going to have to punish you." He lifted his spear at the boy's face.

Shō trembled in terror as everyone and everything froze around him.

"Sorry ki-GAK!" The jailer shrieked in pain as a large rock collided with the top of his head, leaving a large gash and dent on his head. Shō, the jailers and the other slaves all froze at the unexpected attack.

The jailer fixed his position as he held his bleeding temple and swollen eye. "Wh-WHO THE FUCK THREW THAT?" The man screamed out.

The surrounding audience looked over the the whiskered blond boy who leisurely tossed a rock in his hand. He looked over at the injured guard and had a small laugh. "Oh I'm sorry. You were so busy with the boy that tried to kill you that I accidentally let a rock slip out of my hands. My bad." He said as he finished with a sly grin.

"You-you little SHIT!" The jailer grabbed his staff and shot out a bolt of lightning that shocked the blonde boy badly. He kept that stream of electricity for several minutes that caused the boy to scream in pain. Erza and the others were watching in horror at the torture in front of them. When Erza tried to help him, he opened his eyes at her that told her to stay there.

After a few more minutes, the attacking stopped and the jailer retreated, holding his gash. He was swearing as much as he could and cursing the kid to hell. As the jailers left they ordered the slaves to their cells. Simon and Jellal bent down and pulled one of Naruto's arms around their shoulders and lifted him up. The whole group followed them back to the cell.

They arrived back and lowered Naruto to the floor where he tried to stand back up. A few minutes later Rob walked back in and tried to help the numbness through Naruto's body. As the others watched in worry, Shō walked up to his big bro and stood there.

Shō bowed down as far as he could, "I'm sorry Nii-San. This is my fault." He raised his head again and showed his eyes full of tears, Naruto not even looking up at him. "If I didn't lose focus, you wouldn't have been hurt. I'm sorry. I'm so sorry!" His tears were falling down on his damaged feet uninterrupted.

The others watched in understanding at what had happened. The thought of escape now showed no hope if their best hope was hurt. Shō had continued to cry for some time until he felt a heavy hand on his head. He looked up through his tears at the sight of his older brother's hand on head.

"Shut up Shō. I'm sick of this." He said with no compassion in his voice from his actions. Shō felt his tears well up even more at the implied words from Naruto. Naruto lifted his head and showed eyes of determination. "I'm sick of them making you cry." Shō stopped his tears and looked up at him as he stood up, wobbling a bit from the pain.

"Every day these guys hurt us, and we just take it. Ignore it like we aren't even humans. And all we do is cry, hoping that our tears can wash the pain away." As Naruto said this he clenched his teeth and fists in anger, shaking slightly. And then he remembered what he had experienced when he passed out moments ago.

"We will go through a lot of pain and trials in our life. Hell, we've been through a lot already. And you'll want to cry when you do, but don't. That will just show them that they are winning, that they have broken us. Take that pain and carry it with you, through the trouble you go through. We will find a way out of this place, and when we do..."

Naruto faintly smiled as he finally remembered those long forgotten words.

"When we are free, when we can break from this place and see the world with our own eyes, then cry." He looked down at the little kid who was looking up at him with dry eyes. "So keep those tears until we see the free world. Because believe me, it will feel so good that you can't help but cry. 'Kay?" He ended with a happy grin.

The others were looking at the two with great surprise. Shō felt his eyes swell slightly but harden himself and wiped his eyes. He looked up at Naruto and copied his grin. "'Kay."

Naruto smiled down and then heard people walk to him. He turned around to see all of them copying his smile. Erza walked up and held onto him, "Don't push yourself okay. We won't cry again if you don't take this all on yourself, okay?" He nodded as almost instantly his legs turned to jelly and caused Erza to stumble as she was forced to carry his weight.

Erza propped Naruto on the wall to take a breath and sat next to him. She looked at him to see that he was watching the others cheer up right there. "I didn't know you could be smart like that."

"I can't. It was Kurama who said that. He was very smart when he wasn't swearing me out." He said with a grin.

Jellal joined the two while the rest started playing again. They all sat there in silence watching them. Naruto felt a growing feeling in his chest and voiced his concern. "I think we should escape."

The both of them looked briefly surprised before they settled back down and just watched. "Are you sure?"

"We can't stay here. We have to leave. We can't tell Rob-jichan but when we are out we'll send help here. We can stop all of this if we take the chance." Naruto breathed in and looked over at Jellal who didn't look back. "You know when the ships come, right?"

Jellal nodded his head, "Yeah, I have I committed. If we go along with this, it will have to be in the next week. After that, it will happen again in two months."

Erza looked over at them. "Can we do this?" She asked with a strong hint of worry in her voice.

"I know we can do this. And I trust that we can cover each other's backs right." Naruto lifted his head and smiled, "We're the best, right?"

They all smiled at his reference to their challenge years ago. They had decided that it was soon time for them to go. That they were not going to stay here any longer.

By next week, they would be free.

**########Hunter########**

**_Done _**

**_Okay, so yeah this whole chapter was six years after the last one. I could have done a chapter a year thing for the tower, but I'm not that creative and you guys would probably hate that. So years later with flashbacks, yeah! Now I can't say the same for future chapter, but we will see where that goes._**

**_Alright, that is one chapter down. Now I have to write the next one for a Christmas Present to you. Hopefully this one will be as long, and I hope you'll think that it is much, much better. _**

**_Also to those that keep talking about Naruto killing those that get in his way, stop that. Seriously, killing everybody in his way is a horrible way to do things. Plus, with killing so much in his first six years, he kind of wants to keep that as the option less chosen. But... That doesn't mean that he won't when pushed toof far._**

**_I'm not leaving Naruto powerless, believe me, I have ideas of what he is going to do. Trust me. Well anyway..._**

**_RxR Please_**

**_Bye and Thank You._**


	5. Freedom Seen By Your Eyes

Titania and The Hunter

Chapter 5: Freedom Seen By Your Eyes

Disclaimer: Those who own these series, own these series. Watch the official release. Whether Sub or Dub. I choose Dub Fairy Tail over Dub Naruto any day. Believe It!

Three cheers for the Mayan Calendar going down like a bitch.

Merry Christmas, or Happy Holidays so I'm not targeted. Another chapter by New Years. Yeah!

**########Hunter########**

The Tower of Heaven stood at the island's center. Stretching up to well over where the island's base stood. Scaffolds, woods and bricks could be seen far away from where the actual building was. And it was barely even half done.

When he was traveling the world, he had found this sorry excuse for a cult praying to Zeref. They had been taking as many women and children as they could find to give sacrifice to him. He had given the pathetic cult the ideas and plans for the R-System. When they had heard that they could help resurrect their lord and deity, they nearly died from joy.

His conditions for helping to make sure that they could build this masterpiece was that he would be kept informed of all possible information. He would receive changes in blueprints and sheets of how and where they got the materials necessary almost daily. He would just throw them away; they were nothing but glorified statistics from pawns in his game.

What he did keep with him though were files and reports on the slaves the cult had captured. Weekly updates on their statuses and abilities they measured while they worked. He wasn't particularly interested in these reports at first. To him it appeared as nothing more than a growing nuisance from these fools who played the scapegoat like they were the lead. But then, he received the report of a familiar face years ago.

He remembered the sad chuckle he let out at the sight of the man. Rob had grown so old and fragile, a far cry from what he was back in Fairy Tail. Gone was the giant of a man, who could stop charges and heal his wounds in minutes. He remembered when the man was only a teenager, learning Healing and all the base magic to an art form. He had always thought that Rob would never be a great fighter, until he made those weapons from scratch. With the help of some blacksmiths and his own innovative mind, Rob made a weapon that tested his strength, skill, and magic power.

He reminisced of the old days when he would receive reports about how Titan Breaker Makarov and Mad Rush Rob had destroyed a diplomatic building while fending off rogue assassins. He got quite an earful from the magic council about how the ambassador to Ca-Elum was asking for their heads. And how they had to make up for the action by escorting the diplomatic family and insuring their safety. They were almost free of all charges until Bob had gotten frisky with both the daughter and the son of the ambassador. The whole team is still banned from any contact or travel into the foreign nation.

Ah, he almost missed those passed days of ignorance and joy.

Almost.

Now, he had a goal that no foolish dream or pathetic guild would stop. Not the Magic Council, not Damnation, not even Fairy Tail would stop him. And it all started from using these idiots as a distraction from the magic council. They were just fodder to the flames his dream was making. But these fools were making too much ruckus in the underworld when they should be quiet. He was planning to eradicate the half built tower where it stood, killing all the cult members and slaves in an instant. It was easy with the Jupiter cannon they had recently taken. All of his problems would be gone in a flash.

But then, he looked down at the file of the boy he had recently discovered. In the pile of folders and sheets he had pulled out the one that piqued his interest the most. How surprising that in the cell Rob shared with some whiskered trash and a worthless red head, there would be just what he was looking for. He looked at picture of a small, blue-haired child with a tattoo around his right eye. He then preceded to read the information that followed.

_Jellal Fernandes_

_Age: 11_

_Birthday: January 15, X765_

_Location: Freesia Town_

_Family: Parents killed in raid by cult members._

_Child shows vast intelligence and will for young age. He gives strong signs of latent magical power. Has large supply of Eternano encircling body at most time, but is incapable of using at moment. Evidence of escape plans found. Possible Threat in the future._

This boy in the file was quite the diamond in the rough. Abilities and smarts, with an attitude that made even some of the jailers fear him.

If he could use this boy to his liking, then he may be able to further his plans in searching for the keys of Zeref. All he would need is a moment of weakness to control the boy's outlook on the world. But he would have to be contained and trained properly if he was going to be useful.

Hades smirked as he thought of asking Brain to train this boy in spells and magic. The shaman scientist was leaving the dark guilds under his control to run wilder than usual. He was in search of children with high potential to be his teammates, so he hadn't been in the leading position of the guilds for very long. But if Hades gave him some of the children with talent from the tower, he could use that as a favor to train this boy.

"Master Hades, some more ships are coming up from the horizon. They must be doing their Bi-monthly drop off of slaves and meals." A foot soldier said while he rested on one knee in front of the old wizard. "Should we keep our position over the clouds of the tower my lord?"

""Yes, keep us hidden. I do not wish to be bothered by those fools." Hades detested when he had to listen to the reports from the cult master. He had held back so many times on flicking his wrist and blowing the man up that he would soon believe himself to be a saint. As Hades daydreamed of the idea of killing that insufferable; annoying sack of shit, another soldier placed himself next to the first one.

"Master Hades, we have reports of the project you were working on with the Tartaros guild."

"Oh?" Hades turned around, his cape following with his movements. "And what do they say?" He questioned as he raised the eyebrow of his one eye.

"He said that he is willing to cooperate and give you access to the Heart sir, but not fully." The soldier looked upend panicked to see that Hades was losing patience and was becoming irritated. "W-what I mean sir is that Tartaros wishes to run a test trial with the eye link magic before giving us the weapon permanently."

"Ah, I see." Hades nodded and turned back around to look down at the tower from the observation deck. "He wishes to test my abilities with a prototype eye before giving me the actual product." Hades chuckled at the blatant underestimating the dark guild was giving him, "Well tell them I will attend the surgery in a few days' time." He dismissed the two soldiers who vacated the deck, leaving the old man to walk back and sit in his chair. _'Hopefully with this new magic system, I won't have to worry about my body taking too much damage anymore.'_

Hades settled back into his chair before opening his eye at the new presence. He turned his head to see a young, raven haired girl with pale skin in a custom made uniform looking at him with a questioning look. "What can I do for you today Ultear" he asked as he positioned himself to get a better look at the girl.

"I've been trying to ask you for several days now why we have come to this place." The young thirteen year old marched in front of him and placed her hands on her hips. "You promised to help me work with the Arc of Time some more, but all you have been doing is standing here and watching the water. Help me already!" Hades scoffed and swiped his hand to motion that he was barely listening. The girl grew angry and with a pout raised her hands and rotted the throne beneath him, causing him to fall on his butt.

Hades stood back up and dusted his cape and ass, "Well aren't we angry. Are you going through _that time_ of the month, Ultear?" He questioned as the girl's face grew darkly vacant and the air around her grew ice cold. "Well I can't teach you just yet, we are waiting for now."

"For what exactly, Hades-sama?" She said as she joined his side looking down at the tower. "All we have done for the last two days is watch this tower and see the wave's crash. Are you just going senile?" She said with sarcastic words at the almost century old man/teacher.

"No my dear, we are waiting for the perfect opportunity to present itself to us." The young lady looked up at her master with an inquisitive look. "I happen to know that there is a boy in that tower who is exactly who we need. He will try to make a move to run away because he is the type that hates to be chained down, but I'm going to guess that he will fail. And when the time comes that we can make our move, I'll need your help to strike." He turned to her with a dark smile, "If this works, it will bring us one step closer to the Ultimate Magic World."

Ultear looked surprised at the notion her master was giving. She looked down at his hand that held a file which she took it and looked inside. She saw the photo of the blue haired boy and his summary by the jailers. She smiled at the face of the cute boy and giggled. She lowered the file and saw several others that caught her eye. She flipped through the files of the others that were lying on the table when she found one that caught her eye.

She opened it to see a file photo of a blonde boy with blue eyes that she thought looked right through her. What had caught her eye the most were his whisker marks that gave him the look of a fox with those vicious eyes. She gazed down at his summary...

_Naruto Uzumaki_

_Age: 12_

_Birthday: October 10, X764_

_Location: Unknown. Body found in desert by Akane Beach._

_Family: Unknown._

_The child was found by the road of one of our caravan routes. Does not correspond with orders and most information is taken as a guess about him. He appears to have no magic or latent abilities that we can measure, but does have some unnatural force strengthening him. He is violent and strong, and always ready to attack a jailer if they aren't looking. Potentially dangerous. Consider Executing._

"Oh, he is cute." Ultear said as she ran a finger over his profile photo. "Hades-sama, what about him? He seems like he could be useful."

Hades shook his head, "No, not him. We have no way of controlling this boy. And from the reports and footage I've seen, he is a textbook example of a problem child."

"But I always thought you had a thing for problem children." She said as she held the file over her mouth like a fan, hiding her cheeky smile. "Isn't that why you picked me?"

"Not for a child who would kill me if I looked at him wrong." He said as he realized he had not given her his gift yet. He reached into a pocket in his cape and pulled out a teal orb which he handed to her. "Here, take this." Ultear took the orb and looked at the new present strangely.

"What is this?"

"That is a magical item that I believe you will have much use for. It can be used to relay messages to me and others. You can use that as a vision lacrima to view those you wish to spy on. And also, it is the perfect weapon for you to use with your Arc of Time." He said with a overconfident smile at his brilliant plan.

Ultear looked at the ball and decided to play out her teenage attitude. "You got me a ball. Wow, great job."

"Wow, Ultear, just wow. That hurts. That hurts me right in my old heart."

**########Hunter########**

Rob had been worried as he returned to the cell. Over the last week, the kids had seemed quite strange in their actions. Naruto had healed from all his wounds from protecting Shō but he didn't play as much. He would just sit around with Jellal and talk for a while. And after Rob went to bed, he could swear that they got together to talk about something.

And today, the kids had been very nervous and wary about something. Like they knew that today was a big day. Rob walked into his cell and yawned, and then noticed that the group of kids wasn't here yet. He had decided to wait for them and leaned against the wall. He could tell by the sunset about an hour ago that it was a least seven o'clock. And they should have come back by now.

After several long moments of waiting Rob grew scared and worried. The children were never this late; even if they were forced to crawl they would have returned by now. Rob then realized what was different about today. This morning he had noticed that the boats had come in and brought new slaves. Which means that they were leaving with the new materials sometime in the afternoon tomorrow.

Rob grew pale as he dashed for the bars and started to pull on them, hoping that they would miraculously open. He had grown so old and tired that his body was just a husk of what it was. He had grown weak again after so long. And now when he needed that strength to protect them, he couldn't muster it.

Rob lifted his head and prayed that they weren't trying to escape. Because that was all he could do anymore.

Just pray.

**########Hunter########**

The central work room was empty, only the tools of the works and the gravel from their work were there. Jailers were leaving the area and doing their rounds around the tower. As they thought that no one was still around.

As everyone left, seven small shadows crept out from behind the materials around the room. They all rounded up together and followed the shortest figure to the end of the work hall. They all arrived at the end, where the barrels, rocks and wheelbarrows gathered at the end of the rail tracks. The small figure waked forward and moved some rubble, revealing the gate covered hole.

"Okay, this is it." Shō said as he turned on his knees to look up at everyone, wiping the sweat from his brow. "This is the tunnel."

Simon walked forward and looked into the long trench. "It's smaller then I thought it would be." He looked at the small boy "Are you sure this is it."

"Of course I'm sure, I found it, remember."

"Alright, alright that's enough guys." They turned around and saw Naruto standing up to get their attention. "Even if it is a tight fit, we have to use this. Shō said it worked so I trust him." He looked at the little boy who smiled up at him. "Alright, one last time, listen to Jellal about our plan."

Jellal walked up to them and they all got into a huddle. "Alright, the ships bring in a new batch of captured slaves every two months. It spends about a day and a half in the dock. It brings in the slaves and takes back rations and weapons to use in their hunt for more people. The ship came in at six this morning and will leave at six in the afternoon tomorrow. We are going to travel in the tunnel until we reach the bottom near the dock. Then we sneak onto ship and lay low until we arrive at land."

Wally smiled and started to pump his fists, "Then we call the magic corps and they arrest these bastards."

Naruto smiled and laughed. "Alright, we are doing this at night because we wouldn't be able to get away from work if we did it in the day. Hopefully these assholes won't notice our absence long enough for us to hide and run." He took a long breath and stood up straight. "Alright, let's do this."

They all nodded and made a line to go into the tunnel. Shō was about to go in first but noticed that Erza had frozen in place. He turned around and addressed his sister, "Nee-San come on. Hurry!"

Wally hissed at the young boy, "Shut up Shō! They'll hear you if you talk that loud!"

Milliana stared wisely at the older boy, "Wally, you're talking louder."

Wally was shocked in horror before lowering his head in shame. Simon got down and next to the tunnel.

"Erza, we have to go or we'll be caught by those guys." He tried to persuade the scarlet girl who trembled in absolute fear.

"If they find us, th-they'll do to us what they did to the others. A-and-" She grew a dark and fearful look in her eyes until she felt a hand on her shoulder. She turned around to see Jellal next to her, giving her a thoughtful smile while Naruto stood behind him.

"It's okay. Don't be afraid." She turned around and stopped trembling. "We're almost out of here. Our freedom and dreams are right through that tunnel. Let's go!" He said as he almost dived into the hole, leading the group by searching in front for a good escape route. The others nodded and followed his example.

Erza had stopped trembling but had kept her worried face on. She wanted to go say goodbye to Rob-jisan and ask him for help but it was too late. She was conflicted until she felt Naruto grab her hand and pull her. She looked up at him to see that he had a thoughtful smile, understanding her fear and worry at the risk they were taking. "It's alright Erza. We're all in this together and they won't be able to stop us. Besides," he turned his head and gave her a giant grin, "we have each other's back, right?" Erza looked at him with wide eyes before she grew confident and smiled back; a light pink hue dusted her cheeks.

Naruto went in next as Erza followed going in last, leaving the work way once again completely silent.

**########Hunter########**

Jellal had felt his elbows and knees had been scratched to hell after several hours of crawling. They had been passed many exits and tunnels after their trek. Each one lead to a room, empty cell, the main hall or a hallway. Jellal wiped his forehead and looked behind him. Shō and Wally were panting and seemed exhausted, feeling restricted in the small passage way. Behind him Milliana was panting deeply and Simon was lightly sweating, his natural stamina helping him through the ordeal. And finally Naruto and Erza were fairing the best. Both tired but appeared ready to continue.

When they passed a watch room, Jellal saw that the time was about eleven o'clock. They had been crawling for nearly 4 hours. And they still had a long time to go. They were moving fairly slowly as to stop any suspicious feeling a jailer got when they moved past. The bright side was that none of the jailers had even noticed that the kids were moving in the vent like tunnel. All they had to do was endure the exhaustion and they would be freed.

"Milli-chan, are you okay?" Naruto asked the little girl in front of him who was wobbling from exhaustion. She nodded her head with lidded eyes as she pitched forward. They continued until Naruto whispered a question, "Any idea how much further Jellal?"

Jellal shook his head and continued moving until they reached a rest place for the jailers. Several of the cult members had gathered around to discuss what they had done today. Laughing at the fun they had torturing anyone who bothered them. The children all shook with anger from the hurtful actions the men were taking great pride in. They endured the laughs and taunts the men had told until the sound of footsteps approaching reached their ears.

"What are you idiots doing?" A harsh voice yelled rashly at the previously snickering bastard guards. The men had sounded off and stood at attention, trying to gain face again in front of their boss. "The master said that we are on a tight schedule. If we miss our quota, Master Hades will have our asses!" He said with no room for argument."

"But sir, all we have been doing is loading the ships with weapons and cargo. What else could we do?"

"You could watch out for some of those slaves. We don't want a repeat of what happened eight years ago. That little bastard from last week still makes my scar ache." Another voice interrupted the questioning. Naruto's eyebrow twitched at the notice of the voice belonging to the bitch that attacked Shō last week. That man had been watching him over the last week, threatening to attack in retaliation for the still healing scar on his face. Naruto snickered at the self-satisfying pride he had in making a grown man paranoid.

"Silence boy, we don't need to take your personal vengeance at a little brat's actions to heart." The soldier backed down before the leader of the jailers turned back to the rest of the men. "But he is right, eight years ago we were slacking and it destroyed this tower and set us back on finishing. We have a duty and promise to complete this tower. We have been given a great chance by Hades-sama to bring back our lord Zeref. He has helped us make this tower and the master will not be happy to hear that his followers are loitering around like pansies."

The men grumbled in acceptance and started moving out. The children started moving again after taking a break and listening to the conversation outside. Naruto crawled forward with his mind wandering on what they had said. Someone named Hades was making all of this possible. He had headed this tower's construction and had given these men a means to torture and kill them. Naruto clenched he hands in the dirt and stared off at the decision he had just made. If he would ever meet this man, this Hades that had made this tower possible. He would make that man beg for forgiveness, even if it killed him.

As they continued they stopped again as Milliana and Shō had started to sway back and forth. They had reached their limits after so much work in the confined space, their hands and knees bleeding from the travel. They both passed out and fell to the ground, causing a thumping noise to echo through the escape route and out the openings. The jailers had stopped their retreat back to work and listened to the noise in the walls.

_'Shit'_ Jellal thought as he tried to keep Shō conscious. Wally and Simon did the same for Milliana as she panted heavily.

"What was that?" A jailer said to his fellow cult members. The leader lifted his hand to order silence from his followers. He slowly stepped to the walls and placed his ear to it, hoping to hear something move through the concrete. He heard more noise and brought his attention closer to the floor, where a man made ventilation system's grate was. He lowered himself and put his ear closer to the grate, hearing the sounds of stumbling and shuffling ring out through the rock.

"There are slaves in the vents! They're trying to escape!" He yelled out getting the attention of all the nearby jailers and alerting the escaping slaves. Naruto cursed as he screamed out to move. All of them crawled as fast as they could; ignoring the scratches and cuts their hands were gaining as they moved through the passage. Simon cradled Milliana and Wally carried Shō. The jailer roared as he aimed his spear at the vent opening and let out a large fireball, causing an explosion and smoke to rise.

The smoke traveled through the entire shaft, blocking the children's view and clogging their lungs. Erza yelped in pain. "Erza, what's wrong?" Naruto yelled panicking at the pain his friend could be in. Erza looked down and through the smoke could see her feet were burnt and smoking, getting affected by the heat from the attack. They tried to move forward but they couldn't, their vision was clouded and lungs were burning from breathing in the toxic gas. Jellal continued forward, trying to find a safe way out until he saw an opening.

He turned to the shaft, the kid's following behind as they saw his shadow move. Jellal pushed on the grate and had no luck moving. He moved in the space and kicked against the metal, getting it to dislodge. The covering finally fell open as he crawled out into a similar work path, covered in soot and coughing violently. He turned around and helped Wally bring out the barely conscious Shō before helping the dark haired boy. After a fit of coughs they then helped Simon with Milliana before pulling out Naruto. He coughed for only a moment before standing back up and pulling out Erza, her feet stinging as she was helped to the floor. "Are yo-*cough* you okay?" The blond boy asked through his coughing, getting an approving nod from the scarlet haired girl.

The group stayed like that, checking on each other as they dislodged the dirt and soot from their throats and lungs. They finally took in some deep breathes before they heard footsteps from down the hall, "Quickly! I think they are over there." The children froze in fear as they realized that the jailers were closing in on them. They then broke apart and hid out of sight wherever they could. Wally, Milliana, and Simon ducked behind a pile of stacked lumber. Erza grabbed Shō and leaded him to behind several barrels, hugging the terrified boy in fear. Jellal and Naruto ran behind some rubble, around them some working tools and rocks.

A few seconds after they had hidden themselves, shadows started to grow on the floor, symbolizing that the men were growing closer. They waited in breathed silence as the figures started to come into sight. The grown men were not pleased, if the angered expression on their faces was any indication. They viewed the area in front of them and found no slaves, just an open vent with smoke still floating out. Most of them were preparing to leave before the leader raised his hand to stop. He gave them a look that said that the escapees were still here and they should move forward. The guards moved forward and noticed that there were small movements behind some of the objects. The men chuckled darkly as they had found the slaves. They all moved in formation and slowly crept toward them.

"Now, now kiddies there are no reasons to hide. We're not going to hurt you, we just want to talk" one of the jailers lied as he stalked forward, spear in hand. "We just want to talk to you. We want to know why you would run from us?" He stopped moving and grinned evilly as he noticed figures cower behind a group of barrels. Erza and Shō clutched each other as they felt the malevolent presence creep toward them.

Naruto and Jellal looked around the rubble and noticed that most of the men were going toward Erza and Shō. Jellal's breath hitched as he feared the worst, not knowing what he could do at this point. He slowly turned his head and saw Naruto tremble not in fear but in unbridled rage, his teeth clenching so hard his gums were close to bleeding. "Naruto?" Jellal asked his friends in a voice barely even considered a whisper.

Naruto slowly turned his head to look at Jellal, his eyes obviously conveying worry for his friends. He turned his head to look down at the rubble and calmed down. "Hey Jellal," Naruto asked his friend who was looking at Naruto, "I know it is stupid to try to fight these guys. But with everything that is happening and our position we can't do anything else. I don't want them to suffer because I got impatient. And besides..." He lifted his head and looked at Jellal with eyes that showed strong determination even in the current predicament' "I don't think we have a choice but to be stupid, right?" He finished as chuckled lightly. Jellal looked at him and smiled weakly.

"Remember all those stories Rob-jisan told us, when we run out of options, all you can do is fight." They both nodded as they turned their attention back to the men steadily moving toward their friends. They steeled themselves and reached out their hands, grabbing the excavation tools around them.

"Now if you just come with us, we promise not to hurt you." The man finally reached the barrels and peered over them, seeing the form of two huddled figures against the wooden object. "Gotch- huh?" He lifted his head to see what the sudden noise was.

He was met with the form of a flying blond that had vaulted off a pile of rubble. He had a pick-axe in his hands that was reeled behind him in a prepared swing. He was screaming at the top of his lungs and had heated eyes set on the jailer. The man grew a cold sweat as the boy's shadow enveloped him. "HAA!" The boy swung the axe in an arc into the man face, crushing the man's nose and piercing his face until pressured blood erupted from the new orifice.

The hidden slaves and jailers all stared in shock as the boy killed the jailer approaching his friends. He landed and removed the pick from his face, a feeling of disgust washing his mouth as he steeled himself again. He charged forward and swung the pick again, crushing and destroying a shocked jailer's knee. He reeled back and swung again, causing the jailers to momentarily retreat. They stepped back before moving forward again but heard another noise. Behind them another jailer had his skull crushed by a tattooed boy with a shovel. The boy removed the shovel and charged with his friend, beating and killing several shocked jailers.

The men backed off as the boys fought back, taking revenge on all abuse and pain they had felt over the many years. The boys made the men retreat in fear before they were hit by two large fireballs. The boys were sent flying back, their shirts burnt and smoke coming off their bodies. The boys flew back and bounced off the floor, coughing up spit and blood. They looked up to see the leader of the jailers glaring at them, the scarred cult member snickering behind him. He approached them and stood between their fallen bodies, changing his sight between the two of them. He lifted his leg and kicked Naruto in the gut, causing the boy to buckle in and cough up blood. Jellal tried to retaliate only to be kicked in the stomach as well, causing him to throw up. As the two were stunned by the pain, the man tapped his spear on the floor and an electrical current attacked both the boys.

He turned to his men, the electricity still covering the boys, and motioned them to move forward. They followed his example and reached behind the wood and building equipment. They found several slave children all scared and trembling, trying to escape the grasp of the harsh jailers grip. They were thrown near the center of the path, where the two previously electric covered boys were now lying. They all looked up and shook at the looks of pure hatred and disdain the cult followers were giving them. Naruto tried to stand back up but was stopped as a booted foot belonging to the scarred jailer pushed on his back.

"We can't let this go unpunished." The head jailer said as he looked at the quivering children. He looked between all of them and then toward the two boys on the floor. "I would ask who it was that directed this sad attempt, but I feel like I know who it was." He kneeled down and roughly grabbed the hair of the two boys and lifted them, stoically gazing at the both of them. "Now, which one of you started this?" Jellal growled in pure contempt at the old man while Naruto spit in his face. He breathed in slowly before fiercely smacking their heads back into the ground, causing them to gasp in pain. "We're going to have to punish these brats for insolence." He turned to the other men and lifted the children by their hair and threw them at the members who caught the boys and restrained them.

He slowly turned to the other children. He lowered himself and looked the red haired girl in the eye, "You will never leave this place. These pathetic attempts will only get you killed." She welled up and quivered in place in front of the man. He stood up and turned around, passing his followers and referred back to the men. "Those children will not be fed or nourished for several days as punishment for their insolence. As for these two," he looked at the boys who had lifted their damaged heads to glare at the leader. He turned back around and made and evil smirk, "we'll put them in the detention center for a while. See if that teaches them."

Erza and the others paled at the treatment chosen for their friends. She stood up, ignoring the ghost pain remaining from the singed skin, and tried to grab her friends' hands. She was abruptly stopped and thrown back with the others. She saw them drag her friends into the hallway, tears spilling for her eyes. Naruto noticed that she had looked at him while he was being carried off. He knew that nothing good ever happened to slaves taken to the detention cells. They were broken and beaten when they came back out, mere husks of what they once were. And he knew that she was going to worry about him and Erza. He lifted his head and got her attention, having a faint smirk on his face that silently relayed a message to her.

_'I'll be fine. Don't worry.'_

She just knew that if he could speak then, he would try to say something like that. But she just knew that that was a lie. She silently cried as she and her friends were led back to their cell. She felt great shame and fear that she had just let her friends get taken away. She silently regretted in pain as she tried to think of what she could have done.

She wished she could have helped them. She didn't want to be this weak anymore.

**########Hunter########**

Rob waited in fearful silence as the hours passed. It was now close to midnight and the children were still gone. He had heard rumors passed by the jailers that said that some slaves had tried to escape. He tried to control his rapid, worried heart at the possibility that the children may be dead. He remembered the first escape attempt eight years ago that had resulted in the tower almost being destroyed. He remembered the couple that seemed so confident and powerful, and had trusted him with the most important promise of his life. He did not hear from the couple again, believing that the pair had possibly escaped from the tower or may have been killed. He prayed every day after that night that they would still be alive. Because he could not bear the idea of telling her what happened.

Rob heard multiple footsteps approach the cell door, scuffling noises coming from the boots walking across the floor. Several jailers stood at the bars and opened the door, then moved aside as the familiar children were pushed in. The children stumbled forward before falling on the floor. They weakly brought themselves to their knees as the guards all laugh manically before shutting the gate doors and walking off.

All of the children lifted themselves up and looked down in despair. Rob moved forward and rested in front of all of them. They looked up at him and waited for him to say something. He only raised his hand before slapping all five of them across the face.

All of the children were stunned as they raised their hands to stop the fresh stinging feeling across their cheeks. They looked toward Rob who now had his eyes covered by his hair. Erza moved forward and stood in front of him. "I told you," he said as he lightly sniffed. He raised his head to show open eyes with tears streaming down them. "I told you I never wanted to see you hurt like that."

Erza silently sniffed in return. Before she slowly but surely started to break down, her tears falling uninterrupted and body shaking in fear. The other children were not fairing as well as they slowly became overwhelmed by their worry. They all charged Rob and hugged him as he wrapped his arms around all of them and tightly squeezed them. Never wanting to let go.

They spent nearly an hour crying in each other's embrace. After the group had cried until their eyes' were puffy and red, Rob had asked them what had happened. They all took turns explaining their escape plan to head to the ships. How they had moved inside the tunnels and vents towards the dockyard. When they were spotted and attacked which forced them to retreat and. And finally about how Naruto and Jellal were taken into the disciplinary cells after attacking and killing some of the guards.

Rob paled in fear at the knowledge that the two confident boys had been taken to the chambers. He tried to calm himself down but found no result I easing his worry. After helping the children to calm down and telling the, that it would all be alright, he had gotten them to try to fall asleep. But even then, the children still cried silently and rustled in their sleep. All except for Erza, who had just sat against the wall staring at the bars.

"Are you alright Erza-chan?" Rob asked the question even though he already knew the answer.

She sat against the wall and brought her knees to her chest. "I'm fine Rob-jisan. I'm just going to stay up for a little bit."

Rob looked at the girl as he turned around on the floor. He stood back up walked toward her, taking a spot next to her. "You don't have to stay strong anymore you know." He said as the girl just lowered her head into her knees, blocking her eyes from view. "You can just tell me."

He got no answer in return from the upset redhead. He waited in silence and stared at the bars in her place. He continued to do this until he heard a light sniffle from beside him, turning his head to the attention of the little girl.

"It hurts so much Rob-jisan." She lifted her head out of her knees and let her tears fall into her lap. "Why did they h-have to do that? Those i-i-idiots have thems-selves t-taken away for us. We just had to watch as they got t-taken away. I-I had t-to watch h-him smile a-and l-lie to me that h-he would b-be fine." She said as she stuttered in pain and sadness as she tried and failed to hold back her tears. She stayed like that until she felt her grandpa embrace her in a warm hug.

She was surprised until her eyes couldn't keep open anymore and she cried in his chest. "I want to help him!" He quietly shushed her as he patted and rubbed her small back, telling her it would be okay. She continued crying until she passed out; overcome by the exhaustion and emotion the day had piled on her.

Rob shifted and placed her on the floor. He looked back at the bars and let his mind wonder. Despite all his effort, his mind only wondered on the state that the two boys would be in. He slowly clenched his fist as he wished he could have been there. To help and protect them as they tried to run to freedom.

_'Please god, let them be safe. I can't even dream of them getting hurt again.'_ He breathed out and settled into the rock wall. _'I promise that this will never happen again. I will protect them until I die.'_ He looked up with resolve in his eyes. He stayed up and watched the bars all night, hoping that the boys would be safe.

**########Hunter########**

The jailer continued to push forward with his whip. Chambering his arm back and forth as the separated roped slapped and shredded the boy's skin. He continued on until he felt his arms get tired again and lowered his arm. He took a deep breath and looked at his work.

The blond boy was hanging from the hook by his tied hands. His whole chest and back covered in lacerations and cuts. Several points on his body were cut deeply by when the torturer had cut the boy with a knife. Blood and scratches covered his whole frame and some of his blood had dripped to the floor.

Several guards were all sitting around as they watched the torture play out. Despite the boy reacting and moving with the attacks, he did not yell or scream in pain. Holding back his howls from excruciating torture as the men grew impatient.

"Damn, why won't this kid beg? We have been whipping and cutting him for hours but no fucking results!" He grabbed the boy's head and lifted him to look him in the eye, "Why won't you break."

Despite all the punishment and anguish, the boy did not lose the fire burning in his eyes. Staring at the man with unyielding anger and will. The man actually backed off at the intense look the boy was sending off at him. He grumbled and stomped back toward the others. "Well, what now?" He questioned as he sat down. The cell doors opened and in walked the master of the cult. The men stood up immediately and saluted the dark haired man with his entire body covered in eccentric robes.

He walked in and spotted the boy hanging from the hook. "Is this him?" He asked a soldier who nodded in return. "You know you have caused quite a lot of trouble" he said as he walked forward and lifted Naruto's head "attacking my men and trying to escape. What should I do with you?" He finished as he lightly tapped the boy's cheek, the boy feeling like he was touched by a burning rod with the feel of that man's disgusting hands in him.

"Sir, should we kill him? If we make another public execution, it could put the rest of the slaves in their place once and for all."

"No no no, that will never do." The master said as he tilted his head on his hand, questioning his choices. "If we just kill this boy it will mean nothing. He has caused a little panic in the guard system and has been seen by those other kids as a leader. If we just kill him, his memory would be strong. Causing the others to continue to try and run." He said as he let out a deep breath. "If we want to really affect them, we should break this boy. Put him in such a state that he will be nothing but a pathetic slab of meat."

The other guards looked between them at what he was implying. "W-what did you have in mind sir."

The master grew a gruesome smirk and dark aura, "We just have to leave a mark, plain and simple. Something etched into him that he will never forget, and will let him know we control this situation." The man leered at the tools lying beside him and picked up a sheathe. He slowly grinned the handle as he pulled out the knife. "And I think we just have to make sure he can 'see' just that." The man said as he turned the blade, the reflection of the metal coming off over Naruto's right eye.

The hallways became deathly quiet. Not a single guard moved or spoke as the noise echoed throughout the entire hallway. The sound of a bloodcurdling scream that made their bones shake in fear.

**########Hunter########**

As it had come to about eleven in the morning, all of the slaves in the cell were awake. They could barely sleep as they had worried too much as they tried to rest. Shō and Milliana still cried as they had blamed themselves for everything that had happened. Simon and Wally tried to calm them down while Erza continued to stare at the bars.

"Ne-Nee-San?" Erza turned her head and saw Shō sniffling and rubbing his eyes. "I-I'm sorry. This is all my fault. Nii-San and Jellal are probably hurt because of me. If I didn't try to get us to that vent, this wouldn't have happened. I'm sorry." He sobbed as he felt Erza stand up and embrace him. He looked up at her watery but focused eyes.

"Don't be sorry Shō. Naruto and Jellal wouldn't want you to blame yourself. If we gave up a chance like that, they never would have lived it down." She lowered her head and put her face in his hair, he could feel her tears coming onto his scalp. "They'll be fine, I promise." She said to assure herself more than him.

They all stayed in silence, hoping that their friends would be safe. Then, after an entire night of fearfully waiting, the bars creaked open.

The group looked toward the cell door with breathed silence. The jailer kept a stoic face as the bars creaked open and crashed against the stone wall. He looked at the man and the children for a few moments before slowly letting an evil smile grow on his face. He moved aside as a pair of men walked forward "Don't worry; the other one will be ready by tomorrow." The men threw in a small body before closing the doors with a metallic crash and walked away.

The group all gazed in horror and silence at the motionless body lying on his face. His pants and clothes were ripped and torn to shreds. Cuts and bruises evident even with the patches of blood with several deep gashes across his body. His haired was ragged and matted with dry red blood. Even with the stay of fear they were in they could notice that his chest was barely moving, showing that he was still breathing but with small unnoticeable breathes. Erza didn't react. She did not tremble or cry as she slowly approached the unmoving boy. "Wait Erza-chan, I'll-" Rob tried to interject to no result.

Erza slowly reached down and grabbed onto his shoulder. She slowly and gently turned him over on his back to see him. Her eyes slowly widened in horror and she could feel tears begin to fall. She felt her breath quicken and her hands tremble in fear.

"AA-AAHHHHHHHHH!" Erza screamed as she let her tears fall on his damaged face. Trying to hold him as she stared at his empty right socket and screamed in pain. Her screams echoing through the walls.

**########Hunter########**

"C'mon, say something you little bastard! How did you do it?" The bulky cult man said as continued to beat and punch the small frame of the boy with his hands tied behind a pole. He had decided to use his fists to beat the child instead of the whip and knives. He looked at the little blue-haired boy who did not open his mouth. "Oh I'm going to make you cry you little bastard" the man said as he wiped his forehead. He was prepared to continue when he heard the disciplinary cell doors creak open.

"Well, looks like this one is a problem as well. These little punks just won't give up will they" Jellal lifted his beaten head and looked to the new voice. It was the jailer that had attacked Shō and was beaten by Naruto. The man had a menacing grin as he walked toward them, his hands behind his back.

"What are you doing here?" The larger man said as he looked down at the bony man who chuckled lightly.

"Oh I just wanted to come see how it was going with this one. The other kid was causing some trouble as well so I just thought it was a shared trait." He walked forward and met the bound boy in the eye, happily leering at him. "So you aren't going to talk are you?"

"N-no. I won't give up." Jellal lifted his eyes and glared at the cult man. "We are never going to give up, no matter what you do."

"Yes, your friend downstairs had the same mindset." The man stood up and took a few steps "But that got fixed pretty easy. Now he will probably never try something like that again since he is well broken."

Jellal tried to attack the cult member as his hands were bound to the pole. "Naruto would never give up! You could never break him!"

"Yes I think break isn't the right term. I think separated would be more appropriate term I should use." The man chuckled as he brought his hands out in front of the stunned boy. He opened his closed hands and showed the boy what lied in them, earning widened eyes of horror from Jellal.

In his palm was a severed eyeball, ripped out of its socket by a tool. The severed ball laid in the cult members hand and covered it in blood, the man uncaring if the fluid covering his fingers. But what Jellal had noticed almost immediately was that the eye was blue in color. Jellal felt his stomach drop as he knew only one other person with blue eyes, and that he was being tortured downstairs.

The man extended his arm and angled his hand, letting the eyeball drop in front of him and the boy. He raised his foot and stomped, feeling a squish and hearing a squelching noise. Jellal felt his blood turn to ice as the man bent down into his face and leered at him with a menacing grin. "It is time for you to give up. Every chance, every move you make, we can stop you. You will never be free from this place. Your freedom is just a faded dream that you will never reach. And when you see finally see that, you will know that you are doomed." He stood back up and walked away, passing his fellow guard who smiled at the state the boy was left in.

Jellal heard the sound of footsteps and the shutting of the bar doors. But his eyes never left the floor, where the blood and juice from his friend's eye still rested. He felt his fingers dig into his palm and blood dripped down his arms. He felt a sense of dread fill his chest as he let several tears drop from his eyes. Believing that his friend was dead and that his other family would be punished because of his failure.

For the first time in many years, since he lost his family and came to this hell, Jellal could feel his sense of hope die.

**########Hunter########**

"Quickly, give me some more rags! We have to cover his wounds and stop the bleeding!" Rob could feel the weight of the situation push down on his shoulders. He tried to cover the open and aching wound of the unconscious boy as he lay on the floor. The other children were doing their best to keep their tears, only letting a steady stream fall down their faces instead of a metaphorical waterfall.

Shō and Milliana kneeled down and made sure that both the guards didn't interrupt and that no one tried to stop them. The youngest of the group were failing to hold back their tears. Their Nii-San/Na-chan was beaten to a pulp and hurt beyond belief. And with Rob-jisan unable to heal him, all they could do was try to help him and hope for the best.

Wally and Simon were both faring well but were still having trouble. They were moving back and forth from their ration supplies to Rob, giving him water and anything else he asked for. They had ripped off their shirts and parts of their pants to give him as impromptu bandages for Naruto. Anything they could do to help their friend get through this process.

And finally, Erza was right beside Naruto and Rob as he tried to fix up his wounds. She held the cloths in place and applied pressure where he requested her to. And while she did this, she held back her tears that clouded her eyes.

Rob was succeeding in covering most of his wounds but could not close them. Without the proper tools and in a rock cell with rationed water and a surplus of rags to use, he could not fix the boy up properly. Now more than ever he had wished he could fix people up without magic, like how Porlyusica had learned to do. He continued to patch up his wounds but could only stop his bleeding.

"Rob-ji-jisan, I-is it wo-orking?" Erza asked as she held back her sobs as best she could. Rob could only continue to try and help him but to no avail. Without a proper way to heal him and close his wounds, Naruto would get infected and sick. And within days he would die. The cuts and opening on his body were too much, and he was still unresponsive after having his eye taken out.

"I'm-I'm sorry Erza-chan" he said with a regretful tone as the girl felt her breathing hitch "I don't think I can help him." Erza could no longer hold her tears; she felt her body tremble and shake as she clutched he knees. The others were still trying to do what they could, but had stopped after hearing what Rob said. They felt a sense of hopelessness rise in their hearts as the idea of their blond friend dying.

"The-re h-h-has to b-be so-somet-thing we can do." Erza tried to reassure herself in a quiet tone.

"I'm sorry Erza-chan, I can't do any-"

"PLEASE HEAL HIM! I DON'T WANT HIM TO DIE. THERE HAS TO BE SOMETHING." She said as she lifted her red eyes and yelled at her grandpa. "WE CAN HEAL HIM! SAVE HIM! EVEN IF HE DOESN'T HAVE MAGIC WE SHOULD STILL TRY! PLEASE, WE CAN'T JUST LET HIM DIE LIKE THIS! HE WANTS ALL OF US TO BE FREE TOGETHER, SO WE CAN'T JUST LET HIM GO! PLEASE!" She pleaded as the others felt their hearts sink.

Rob couldn't help but feel that he had let his pseudo-granddaughter down. The children were crying, Erza was losing hope, Jellal was still gone and Naruto was close to passing. Rob couldn't think of any ways to save this situation. He wanted to tell Erza that he couldn't heal him, but felt that trying to explain would only cause more pain. If only his magic coul...

Wait.

Could that work?

Rob urgently took the rags off the boy's body and piled them under his head, making an adaptable pillow. He started to apply his magic and roam his hands an inch over the boy's injured body. Erza had slowed her sobbing and had watched Rob diagnose Naruto. "Wh-what are you doing Rob-jisan?"

"I'm going to do the best I can to heal Naruto." The surprised Erza looked up at him. "I'm going to implant him with my magic."

"H-how?"

"I couldn't heal him before because he didn't have any magic. And his chakra or even his limited use of Kurama's can't make up for the gap by healing him. But I can give him my magic and use that as a base to create an origin. Then I can use that to use my magic to heal him. And then with that he can gather eternano so he can receive and use magic."

"H-how?"

"I'm going to implant him with my eye." Erza gasped at the concept he had told her. The others were also surprised as they looked toward him. "If I use my Healing magic I can implant my eye into him and that will be used as a medium to gather magic. His body will adapt and form a magic source with the rest of the magic in the air. And I can use that to heal him, even if only partially."

"B-but if you lose your eye, you won't be able to see and help Na-chan?" Milliana said as she and Shō wiped their eyes with their arms.

"Yes, it will be difficult if I implant my own eye, but it is the best choice." He was raising his palm to his eye when he felt two small hands grab his. He lifted his gaze at little Erza reaching out and stopping him. "Erza-chan, what are you doing?"

She looked up at her grandfather with dried and puffy red eyes. "You can't do it as well if you give your eye right?"

"Yes but I don't care. I'll do whatever I can to save him."

"Rob-jisan, he needs you at your best to heal him." She looked at Rob as he gave her a worried look as he followed where she was going with the concept. "Give him my eye." She stated plainly with no change in her voice or expression, even as Rob grew pale white.

"W-what? No!"

"Please Ojii-San, you said I can use magic too, so it should work as well." She said as she tried to persuade the older Fairy Tail Mage.

"B-but Erza-chan, if you did, t-then" Rob lost his words as he felt his reasoning fall.

Erza smiled and tilted her head, her eyes shut. "Rob-jisan, I want to help him with this. He has helped me through a lot and needs my help." She said as she ran her hand through his hair. "I want to show him that I will always have his back. And, more than anything, I want him to see the freedom he has been fighting for. Even if I have to give him my eye."

Rob looked at the girl in shock, knowing that her resolve was firm with how she did not fear the ideas of losing an eye. He swallowed and lowered his head in quilt. He looked at the injured boy once more before steeling himself and raising his hands.

Erza saw Rob lift his hands and hold them in front of her right eye. She closed her eyes as she saw his hands get covered in a light blue magic aura. And she felt her right socket go empty.

**########Hunter########**

_Naruto found himself in the darkness again, nothing in any direction. He remembered the last time he was in this place, six years ago when he first came to the tower. He couldn't wake up again, just like before._

_'Erza. Hey Erza!' He yelled in every direction and got no reply. 'Jellal, Simon, Wally, Shō, Milli-chan, Rob-jichan!'_

_He received no reaction again. Naruto growled and pulled his head back._

_'Dammit, anyone!' Silence_

_Naruto sighed and tried to remember the last thing that happened to him. His friends were captured by the guards, while he and Jellal were put into the disciplinary cells for punishment. And then he remembered the man that pulled out his eye._

_Naruto then started to jerk around in slight panic._

_Was he dead?_

_Was this it?_

_Would he never see his friends ever again?_

_Naruto stood in the darkness unmoving, with his face shadowed by his hair. He lifted his head and wished he would come out. Not for himself or his safety anymore. His safety wasn't important anymore; he would probably put himself in more and more dangerous situations if he was free. But he did care about the state of his friends._

_'I won't go like this. They need my help. I need to help them. I don't care what I have to do anymore; I'll do whatever I have to to help them. I'll bear the sin I preform..'_

_'But please, let me help them'. He said quietly in the darkness._

_Then, a brightly light started to spread around him, covering the once dark space he was in. He felt his whole body covered in the light before he had to close his eyes for protection._

**########Hunter########**

He could feel the sensation of stone, feeling that he was lying on his back. He felt his whole body was stiff and sore, almost becoming a task to move. He tried to open his eyes but felt that even the faint light around him could burn his eyes. He slowly opened his eyelids, seeing faint shadows through the clouding in his eyes.

He finally opened his eyes to see all of his friends looking down at him in worry. But as he felt himself move and readjust on the floor, they all felt tears in their eyes and thankful smiles grow on their faces. Naruto tried to lift himself up as a faint pain coursed through his body. But felt new jolts of agony as two torpedoes crashed into his chest at Mach speed.

"Na-chan/Nii-San!" Naruto grunted as Shō and Milliana tackled him back to the floor, hugging his heavily bandaged body and never letting go. Naruto coughed and laughed as he slowly brought his hands up and tapped their backs, letting them know he was here and that they were killing him. They let him go as he sat back up. Wally and Simon came next, both giving him a hug as he returned it.

"Naruto-kun." Naruto turned his sore head and saw that his grandfather had addressed him. The old man had teary eyes as he saw his young friend look up an beam a smile at him. Rob leaned down and accepted a hug from his grandson. "I was worried there. I thought you wouldn't make it."

"How am I alright? I feel like I should be dead." He looked down at the large amount of bandages and rags covering his arms, legs and head. He felt sore and painful from any excessive movements he made.

"You almost were. But I healed you enough so that you can move. Now your body is still sore and hurt but you should be fine if you give yourself some time to heal." Naruto looked up at Rob in well believed surprise, already asking the question before even saying it. "I was able to heal you with by transplanting an object from someone who could use magic. It will start to form a magical reserve for you after a few days. With it, I can now use my magic to heal your wounds. And, if you give it a few days to form properly, you will be able to use magic." Naruto slowly grew a smile at what Rob said, becoming excited with the idea that he could use magic.

But as fast as his grin had formed, it slowly faded with a look of worry in his face. "Wh-what was the transplant?" Rob shifted his gaze with a sight of quilt and pain evident in his eyes. Naruto saw a small puddle beside him, which had grown from all the water and blood Rob had used to cover Naruto's wounds. Naruto looked at the small puddle and could see what his grandfather had done.

In his reflection he could see his head and body was covered in bandages. He had some scratches and rough marks still evident but was otherwise fixed up entirely. But what had caught his eye instantly was...his eye. What was now in his right socket was not his old blue eye but a different color all together. His right eye was now a strong, solid brown color instead of the blue pool it once was. Almost instantly, Naruto recognized the color as he had seen it almost every day for most of his life.

He looked up from the puddle and turned his head between everyone he could see. They all tried to avoid his gaze as they knew they wouldn't be able to look him in the eye if he asked. Hidden behind Simon and Wally was a figure trying to make herself scarce. Naruto's eyes widened as he saw her hiding her face behind them. They saw that he had spotted her and slowly moved out of the way.

Erza knew she was being watched and looked toward him. She had a makeshift eye patch over her right eye made from leftover rags. She looked in his eyes as realization slowly dawned on him. "Why?" He asked her as he slowly moved toward her, making sure to not stimulate his wounds too far.

"Because you would have died if I didn't. And you probably would have done the same for me." He looked at her as his eyes continued to widen at the sacrifice she made for him. He lifted his injured hand and covered his new right eye.

"Take it back."

"What?"

"Take it back, please. I don't want this eye if it hurts you like this. Every time I'll see you, I'll think that I took this from you. Why, why would you-" Naruto questioning was stopped as Erza embraced him in a tight hug, causing him to look at the girl at his chest surprisingly.

"I was scared. We were all scared." Naruto looked around as he saw that all of them had lowered their gaze to the concrete. "We thought we were going to lose you. We had to watch as you almost bled to death as we tried to help you. And all I could think of was when you saved Shō and I from those men." She started to shake as her voice seemed to break and lose strength. "We don't want to lose you or Jellal. We want to stay together." She lifted her head form his bandaged torso and looked at him with a watery eye. "Don't ever leave us, okay?"

Naruto felt his heart break and couldn't think of an argument. While he had given up on himself, they were worried about him. She had actually given him her eye to keep him alive.

How could he say no?

He lowered his arms and hugged her back, putting his face in her hair to cover his tearing eyes. "Thank you." Erza nodded her head as she continued to hug back. The others had all moved in closer and joined the two in the embrace.

Even if they were scared and incomplete, their family was here. And they didn't want to lose each other again.

**########Hunter########**

"Well, it looks like he hasn't broken, huh? Oh well. We've been beating him for almost half a day now. Hahaha." A guard said as he laughed with the other guards as they looked at the source of their attention for hours now. The bloodied tattooed boy had bruises, cuts and whip marks all over his body. His eyes were heavy and he was tired beyond belief. But he could feel his heart fall heavy and his mind cloudy with thoughts. The man stood up once again and started to whip him, "What do you say kid, tell us how a lowly slave like you is sorry and I may stop."

"Shut up you fucking pig."

"What did you say?" The man dropped his whip and started to roughly grab the boy's chin and face. "You would disrespect me, your superior, because you hold on to some foolish concept of your freedom. We will make this R-system and resurrect our god. Then you shall see just what he can do."

"What kind of god dies, exactly?"

"Why you ignorant little-" the man reeled his fist back but was stopped by another cult member who smirked casually.

"Forget it, he isn't worth it. C'mon, I think we should go punish those other kids and check on the blond punk. He probably died out from all the wounds. Besides, the ships are leaving soon. And I would like to see their hope sail away with my own eyes." He led the other cult member out of the cell as he started yelling at the bound boy. The cell doors closed and Jellal was left alone in the disciplinary cell.

"God, pfft. What kind of bullshit is that? What kind of god would let something like this happen? Let children be killed and tortured by his followers? For what, so his grace and love can be spread through force and pain?" Jellal started to shake as the realization of everything that happened to him and his friends was because of these bastards search for their almighty god. "I hate them. I hate all of them. This place, the people, this world. I hate it."

**Hate strengthens me...**

Jellal felt a sense of fear and dread creep up on him as he hung by a post. He quickly turned his head in every direction trying to find the voice. He then felt a cold wind gather around him.

**Those poor, arrogant fools have no idea. They want to revive me but I was never gone. I was just here, watching them as they threw away such great chance and material.**

"Who-who's there? Show yourself you bastard!" Jellal screamed as he started to kick the air around him, trying to stress the rope and wood.

**And they think that I could be revived into bodily form. It's laughably pathetic that they think I could be revived with just their faith. But without a powerful, oppressive hatred I could never truly be formed. I suppose I should thank them, giving me such a great tool such as you.**

"Where are you?! Come out!"

**You are very lucky child, very lucky indeed. You have a chance to meet a god. Someone worshipped by the masses as the messiah that will revolutionize their feeble existences.**

A cold wind started to pick up around Jellal, forming a barrier of air. The wind changed shape and formed a grotesque skull that floated through the violent winds and met Jellal face to face.

**I am Zeref. And your hatred is the reason for my existence. So... Let me help you change this filthy world.**

**########Hunter########**

Naruto continued to look at his feet with absent emotion. He was thinking of everything that had happened over the years. Forced to maim and kill without his will or consent. Losing Kurama and ending up in the tower. Meeting Erza, Rob and Jellal. Finding family in the slaves he met and worked with. And now how he had almost lost it all.

"Are you okay?" Naruto looked up to see Erza watching him. She sat in front of him as he raised his gaze.

"I was just thinking about what I should do. The ships are leaving soon and I can't help but see where this has led us. I'm beaten to hell, you gave me an eye and Jellal could still be hurt."

"So what can you do anymore?" Erza asked her oldest friends as he kept looking at her.

"You know, I've been in places like this my whole life. I was never given a choice of what I could do or where I could go. It has always been just do what I was told or get beaten and killed." He looked at his hands as he drifted off, "So if I could leave here, what would I do? That has always been something I was excited to find out." He said with a smile as he looked at Erza.

She smiled in return and felt her eyes wander down to her toes. "I still want to be free, but I don't know what to do anymore. Escaping feels like a useless effort and we will probably be killed once the tower is done. But I'm sick if this. Watching Shō and everyone get hurt. Seeing them laugh at us because they have weapons. And watching them do this to you. I try to think but-" she clenched her teeth in anger and closed her eye, "but I don't know what to do."

Naruto looked at her, and then tilted his head back and gazed at the ceiling. "We fight."

Erza looked at him surprised as she opened her eyes at what her blond friend had said. "Jellal and I thought that once we reach a point where we can't think of what to do anymore, we stop trying to flee and fight. We may face trials and problems; we could do stuff that would send us to hell but anything better than this place."

Naruto looked at Erza with determined eyes. "We fight for our freedom."

Erza was about to reply but heard footsteps coming toward their cell. She helped Naruto to his feet and brought him to the center with the rest of them. The doors opened and the jailers walked in with smug smiles. The leader of the gang of bastards was the same pussy jailer that had it out for Naruto after the scar. "Well well, look who his up. And dressed like a mummy, classic!" He leered down at the blond boy who shook and growled at the man who condescendingly belittled him. "And how's the eye? Must be hurting right? A horrible ache that just won't go away?" He snarled as he felt his scar throb from his anger.

Naruto continued to shake in barely controlled anger. "Well don't worry; your other little friend must be hurting to. But I doubt he will be a problem anymore." Naruto felt something snap as a growl formed through his clenched teeth. "Now, how about we get another round of hearing you and the kids scream, huh punk" the man yelled again as he raised his weapon to attack again.

Naruto snapped as he jumped from his crouch position at the man, ignoring the screaming pain throughout his body. He impacted against the man and grabbed his staff, then placed his feet against the Nan's torso and pushed off harshly. He spun the spear in his hand once before lunging forward and shoving the weapons main blade deep into the man's chest.

The man felt cold as blood leaked from his sternum and his heart stopped. The man fell forward dead as Naruto panted heavily on one knee, feeling his body's condition catch up with him.

"Yo-YOU FUCKING SHIT!" The other guards pulled their weapons back in preparation to turn the boy to mince meat. As Naruto was about to guard and attack, he felt the staff in his hands pulled out of his grasp. He turned his head slightly to see Erza charge forward with his stolen weapon and moved toward the cult men.

"HAAA!" She swiped the staff in a grand arc and crushed their faces. The men fell back and twitched in agonizing pain as the girl landed between all of them. Erza stood back up and faced all of her friends, who were still shocked at the action her and Naruto had taken. She reached out her hand and motioned for Naruto to take it. "We fight back. That is all we can do." Naruto had a small smile at what his friend had taken to heart as he took her hand and stood back up.

He bent down and picked up another staff and a small sword from one of their sheathes. He turned around and noticed that several other salves form other cells had their heads out of the bars to see what the commotion was. He turned back to the only people he knew after so long. "Our options are gone, but we are left with a choice. We can either wait out our days and die" his eyes hardened as he raised the sword over his head "OR WE SHOW THESE BASTARDS WHY THEY SHOULD BE AFRAID OF US!"

Erza leapt away and swung the staff at the locks of cell doors, letting them creak open and the slaves to walk out. "GRAB A WEAPON AND FOLLOW US, TODAY WE WILL HAVE OUR FREEDOM!" She joined the side of her best friend as all the slaves started to grab whatever they could and held them like weapons. "WE SHALL FIGHT!"

"HAAAIIIIII!" All the slaves yelled as they followed the bandaged boy, eye patched girl and several other children as they charged forward.

**########Hunter########**

"Hades-sama it worked, I think I have Jellal in our hands." Ultear said as she held the teal orb between her hands, a form of a tied boy with an expression of realized enlightenment on his face. Behind her, the tall bearded dark Mage smiled pleasingly at the new information.

"Good Ultear. Great job. Now, let us see how this plays out." The man silently stood behind her until a loud alarm blared throughout the entire observation deck.

"Master Hades, we have a request report from the tower below us. There is a revolt going on and they need our help. What should we do sir?"

"Ignore it."

"Sir?"

"It is not our concern what those pitiful fools have led them to. They set this fire, now let us watch them burn."

"That's surprisingly dark of you Hades-sama."

"Well I thought those words you relayed to that boy were surprisingly true. So I think I will let them stew in their own filth for a while."

"What about Jellal?"

The old man stopped his retreat to his throne at the question. "Now that we have warped his perspective, I say we watch how it plays out. Let him fend for himself and show what we have to look forward to now." He said as he took a seat at the throne.

**########Hunter########**

"REVOLT! THE SLAVES ARE REVOLTING!" That was the only warning the man got out as he felt his body be smashed by the mob of slaves beating him.

The slaves charged forward and mauled every jailer they could see, beating them to death and taking their weapons. The slaves grabbed swords and spears and threw them at the cult members, getting the men to retreat. The slaves gathered around any closed cell they could find and broke open the locks on the bars, freeing more of them.

Naruto charged with his spear in hand, jumping in the air and taking out several charging guards. He landed as more of them prepared to attack him. He dove out of the way as Erza appeared above and slashed them with her swords. She turned to Naruto and threw her sword as he tossed her his staff, grabbing the weapons and using them interchangeable to attack between short and long ranges. As more men charged the two front runners of the slave army, two figures jumped out of the group and tackled them.

"This is what you get for messing with Mad Dog Wally." The black haired boy swung his staff and knocked a group of men down, blood spilling from their injured mouths.

Simon charged forward like a bull and jumped in the air, his knee outstretched. "Thanks for making us so strong you bastards." His flying knee collided and knocked down a large cult member as he rolled off the man and continued to punch anyone he saw as an enemy.

Shō and Milliana grabbed two 2x4s and proceeded to stun and injure anyone they could as the older slaves finished the job.

"These slaves think they can win against us! Kill them! We will gather more just stop the rebellion!" A member of the cult guards said as the remaining members charged forward to interrupt the assault.

"Don't be afraid! We outnumber them. Take away their weapons and they are nothing but fools in dresses. We will have our freedom." A slave said as he encouraged the group of stampede of rebels to charge forward. The group met the cult members as they fired low level spells at close range, knocking back some of the slaves. But soon enough they were overpowered, their weapons ripped from their hands and the slaves ending them there.

"Everyone, we must charge the 8th sector now. Don't stop." Erza yelled as most of the slaves cheered in agreement. By her side she saw Naruto stand tall even as some of his bandages were bleeding again and his body grew weaker. Even if he was in no state to fight, Naruto was going to lead this army with her.

Simon pushed passed the other slaves who marched forward to reach the two. "Are you sure? The soldiers are piled up most there." He stood there as his friends followed close to him.

"We have to. Jellal is most likely there and we have to save him." Erza reasoned.

"She's right. We have to save him, he's our family and we will not leave him behind." Naruto said as he straightened himself to look taller and uninjured.

"Are you scared Simon?" Wally teased the bulky boy as he pouted and pushed his nosy friend away from him. He stepped forward and looked Erza in the eye.

"Erza... Do you like Jellal?" Simon asked with a nervous tone as he shocked all of his friends with his question. Wally, Shō and Milliana all had their jaws open from shock. Naruto had stumbled slightly but balanced himself almost immediately, but could feel his heartbeat accelerate. Erza was just staring at him shocked, uncomfortable from the question with a slight blush on her cheeks.

"Why-why are you saying that now?" Erza said as she shifted at the uncomfortable, eerie stares all of her friends were giving her. "Now isn't the time for that." She said to adjust the attention from her to the rebellion.

"Well, I was just wondering if you liked Jellal or Naruto?" She gasped at the inclination he was giving as this time Naruto plainly tripped. She stuttered as she couldn't find the right words to use. Simon noticed this moment of hesitation to step forward and earn her attention. "Erza... I-"

***BOOM***

A loud explosion echoed throughout the battle as everyone looked toward the cause of the noise. Naruto, Erza and everyone looked in wide eyed shock as Simon was sent flying by a massive fireball. The concentrated magical burst had impacted on his jaw and rattled his whole brain as a smoke cloud formed around his chin. He landed roughly as he laid there unconscious.

"SIMON!"

Naruto dropped his weapon and made a mad dash toward his smoky friend. He dropped to his knees as he tried to wake his friend up. As this happened, all of the slaves looked toward the more talented magicians that had fired the first shot. They started to gather up magical energy toward their staffs and fired at the rebellious slaves.

"Oh god! It's the magicians! Run or you'll be killed!" A slave said as he was caught in a flurry of magical attacks from the slave drivers.

Erza stood shocked as she saw all of the slaves just run away from the fight. "You can't give up! We have to fight or we will die!" Erza's words went unanswered as all of the slaves retreated from the battlefield. The only ones left at the center were her and her friends; who were all checking on how badly Simon's condition was. "Please! Come Back!"

The jailers looked to see a young, scarlet haired girl that they presumed to be the leader. Several of them aimed their magical staffs at her and unleashed a massive charge of fireball magic at her. She could only watch in terror as the balls of fire closed in on her. Her friends looked up from where they were taking care of Simon to see Erza being attacked.

Naruto instantly jumped up and sprinted as fast as he could. His legs almost gave out as he felt a rage and anger form in him at the idea of losing Erza. But then, he felt a similar power fill him up like when he was just a child. Some of Kurama's chakra was strengthening him to fight. He continued his charge as he saw a figure get in between Erza and the rapidly approaching fireballs.

**########Hunter########**

Rob guarded Erza as the attack closed in on them in slow motion. He could feel the girl take in a breath to yell at him to run. He could feel some of the gazes of the other slaves on him as he protected his granddaughter. He had already made his decision.

To keep his promise, he would protect her. Even if it meant he died. He closed his eyes as the attack slowly inched toward him. He opened his eye to see a figure put itself between him and the approaching attack.

Rob felt his wary eyes open in shock and dread as he recognized the figure in his way. Naruto had jumped in and put himself between the old mage and the fire attack. His feet were off the ground as he did a dive before righting himself in the air to cover more of the two precious people behind him.

Rob could feel a sense of dread well up in his chest. If Naruto took an attack like that, with his body as bodily injured as it was. He would most definitely die. But Naruto probably knew that, he could feel the bad shape his body was in. And yet, he still jumped in to protect them. Rob felt a small smile form on his lips at the action his grandson had taken. He remembered how he was as brash and crazy back in his younger days as well. Rob steeled himself as the balls came close to impacting on Naruto.

He wasn't done being crazy just yet.

Naruto felt a pair of old slender arms wrap around his flying form and pull him back. Rob had grabbed Naruto while there was still time, abruptly turning to cover the boy and girl with his body. But with the position of the flying balls, they impacted against his right side and blew up.

***BOOM***

Another massive explosion as Rob was sent flying as a smoky heap as Erza had watched as her grandfather flew. The body fell to the ground with a thud and she just looked with wide, horror filled eyes. Was her Ojii-San? Was Naruto dead? Was she alone again? She felt herself begin to hyperventilate as swords and spears started to rattle.

"Get ready to attack again!"

"Nee-San, get out of there!" Shō said as he and Wally looked on in fear as the men aimed their weapons at her again. She fell to her knees and clutched her head, trying to make all the pain stop. She cried out in pain as more of the weapons started to shake as well, earning the attention of everyone that could see her.

"AAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHH!" She screamed out as the ground underneath her broke apart and a magical seal appeared beneath were she was sitting. The others looked on in amazement as every sword; spear and weapon within a large radius floated up and started to swing. The weapons were moving out and swinging themselves at rapid speed towards the jailers who tried to run away. The jailers were quickly defeated and forgotten as Erza moved the blades to attack any other soldier she could see.

"Uh. Oh god. *Cough cough* rob-ji-" Naruto got out from underneath the protective heap over him to see his badly damaged friend. "Jii-chan!" Rob had burn marks and singed skin over most of the right side of his body. His skin was burning and his right arm had been reduced to nothing but a stub from where it was blown off. "Can you hear me?! Are you okay?!" The burnt body coughed and laughed.

"Okay may not be the right word for this but yes, I'm alive." He said as Naruto breathed out a breath he didn't know he was holding as he went to hug Rob but then thought that wasn't the best idea. He then noticed the sounds of screams and crushing rock behind to see Erza using swords to fend off the jailers.

"Wow! Is Erza using magic?!" He excitingly asked his older friend nodded as he cringed in pain. "Ah, Jii-chan, we need to get you help."

"Don't worry about me Naruto-kun, I'll be alright." Rob said as he clutched his stump to mask the pain. "Just worry about Erza-chan. And Jellal-kun, they need you." Naruto looked back at him before nodding his head and dashing to Erza.

Erza continued to make her blades dance as she tried to get revenge for all the damage these men had done to her. When she felt a person come from behind her and hug her tight. She turned her head to see Naruto's blond hair on her back. "Na-Naruto?"

"Don't worry, I'm right here. And Rob-jichan is okay as well. Well... not really okay but he his alive." She turned her head in his embrace to see Rob on his knees, being helped by Shō and Milliana as Wally lifted Simon on his back. She looked at Naruto as he held up a confident look. "We're all here, and we'll all make it out. I'm going to make sure Simon and Jii-chan are all right, so can I trust you to grab Jellal." He said as he lifted his arm with a fist.

Erza wiped her tears and smirked back at him. She raised her arm and they both tied their arms together in a promise. "I'll see you here again right. You've got my back." Naruto nodded and they both went their separate ways. Naruto slinging Rob's only arm over his shoulder as Erza grabbed two swords and charged toward the cells.

**########Hunter########**

Naruto ran forward holding onto Rob for dear life. Rock breaking and dust explosions from stray magic blasts from jailers clouded his eyes. He saw Wally and everyone take Simon in a different direction. Towards another ship as they had been separated from each other by the explosions. Naruto arrived at a boat and saw that some of the slaves were already preparing to take off. He boarded the ship and brought Rob with him. He was about to let Rob down as another older slave interrupted him.

"Hey, hey no! We can't take someone as injured as him with us. He'll take up most of our supplies."

"Just let him stay here for a minute dammit. We wouldn't be here right now if he didn't save us!" Naruto yelled leaving no room for argument from the older man. He grumbled and left the boy to take care of the old man.

"Stay here Jii-chan, I'll be back as soon as I know Erza and Jellal are okay." He got a slight nod from the mage as he left him propped on the rafting. Naruto ran off the deck as several other children watched him leave. One of them was the same child he had argued with last week. Erik huffed as he started to prepare the ship for departure.

**########Hunter########**

"W-Wait, let's not be too hasty now." A guard said as he and some other jailers backed away in fear at the approaching figure. "Ca-can we say we're sorry. Please." He sweated bullets as the red haired girl slowly walked forward with two massive swords in her arms. She looked up and glared.

"Move."

She barely whispered as she charged forward and cut them down, sending them flying and turning in the air in pain. The men fell down and cried as they were left to writhe in pain at the circumstances for hurting the slaves. Erza ran forward and saw Jellal with his hands tied to a post. She dropped her weapons to lighten her load and sprinted forward. She arrived at the boy and stood on her toes as she untied the rope around his hands.

"Jellal, oh thank goodness you are here. We are fighting back so it's alright now. We are winning. We'll be free by the end of the day." She let the boy fall on her as she hugged him to make sure he was alright. He slowly lifted his arms to return the embrace, hugging her tightly. Erza smiled as she was happy to know her friends was okay. Then she noticed that his grip was slowly strengthening.

"Er...Za..." He said tiredly as he felt the girl try to back away from his hug. "We don't need to run anymore." Erza tried to look at him as he continued his embrace. He lifted his head to look at the hallway in front of him, his eyes grew evil and a wicked smirk was on his face. "Our true freedom is right here, in the tower." He let her go as he stumbled forward, swaying from his exhaustion.

"Je-Jellal what are you talking about? Naruto, Ojii-San and everybody is waiting on the ships. We have to-"

"Erza, there is not freedom in this world." Erza stopped as she listened to her friend's words. "That thing that Naruto, you and I and everyone has been striving for is nothing but a dream. The freedom outside is poor and fleeting, but that doesn't mean we can't make our freedom." Jellal turned around and looked at Erza as his grin showed all of his teeth.

"I seek the only True Freedom in this retched world... I seek Zeref's World."

Erza felt her breathing stop as her friend approached the fallen guards. "I think I know what they were looking for. This world they were looking for is there but they just can't reach it. These pitiful fools could never reach the world their god was aiming for." He marched forward to the master of the cult and laid his foot atop his skull. "And you said useless trash wasn't needed, right?"

He crushed the man's skull in an instance as blood jetted out and covered his foot.

Erza felt dread fill herself as she saw the boy she had known disappear as he walked forward and massacred all the cult members that begged for mercy. He easily swiped his hand and sent the men crashing into the walls, instantly killing them. He laughed like a maniac as the blood followed down to his feet as Erza cried silently. A member stood up and tried to run.

"You hate these guys right Erza?" She nodded her head in fear at his question. "Well I've seen that you and Naruto have already killed some of them to stop them from killing everybody. So what is wrong of when they try to beg for freedom, I just ignore and continue." He pushed his hand forward as an invisible force shot out and obliterated the man entirely.

"Je-Jellal, not like this. We have to escape. Come with us and we'll help you."

"There is nothing wrong with me Erza. In fact, I couldn't be better. I've seen the light and it shows me that freedom is so close at hand. Stay here Erza." He extended his hand to the quivering girl "Help me change this world."

"N-no!"

Jellal chuckled before lifting his hand and pushing the girl back with his magic. She was sent flying from the force and fell down the path to the work section again. She lifted her head but felt another powerful force explode behind her, crumbling the rock wall behind her. She looked out to see a ship leaving the dock. Jellal slowly walked in front of her and lifted his hand covered in his magic.

"Look at that, people are fleeing from our freedom. I guess I should punish them."

"No don't!"

A massive push shot from his palm and exploded the back of the ship, killing dozens of slaves and sinking the ship. Erza looked in horror as she heard screams coming from the sinking vessel. "Wh-what have you done?! You could have killed our family!" She said as a pair of shadow hands came from beneath her and choked her.

"It's alright, no one we knew was on that ship. Okay maybe Jii-San but that's alright." Erza felt her eye widened and tear as she heard her friend say he did not care for their guardian's death. "It's all right Erza, I'll take everyone we know and keep them here. We will build this tower and save ourselves. And you can join us if you wish."

Erza shook her head. "Alright, then. Maybe I should throw you out or kill you. Use that as a way to- MHHUU?!" Jellal felt a fist crash against his face as he was sent rolling down the hill. The shadow hands released Erza as she gasped for fresh air. She looked up and saw Naruto wheezing as his fist was extended out where Jellal once was.

"*Huff huff* WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU DOING JELLAL?!" He screamed as his friend stood back up and wiped his chin of blood. "What do you think you are doing, attacking Erza? If I didn't stop you, you would have killed Erza!" He quickly walked down the hill to help Erza up but was forced back with a blast of wind, sending him crashing against a wall and shouting in pain.

"That was my intention Naruto, I had to state my point." He stretched out as he threw another attack and cracked the foundation again, causing rubble to fall close to Naruto and crush him. "I was just telling her that we have to finish this tower if we wanted to earn our true freedom. And that I was helping those people out on the boat by sinking them and letting them be free" Jellal said with a smirk. Naruto looked out at the wrecked boat and felt his heart sink.

"Th-that was the boat with Rob-jichan! You killed him! Why? Why would you do this Jellal?!"

"Because I'm going to change this world." He said as more rubble fell from higher levels as the foundation of the scaffolds started to break down. "I will continue this work, complete the tower and revive Zeref. I will change how we treat everyone of course; fear is no way to control people. But I do think sacrifices will need to be made." He then turned his cold eyes on his friends, "And I think you two will be perfect."

Naruto and Erza stared in horror at what their friend had become. Erza felt tears fall from her eyes as despair sank in. Naruto shook as he clenched the dirt and felt anger boil in his center. The same rage and power filled his blood and body. His hair started to become rough and his whiskers became rough and scarred. He lifted his head to glare at his former partner in crime. His right eye brown but his blue eye had seemed to change to crimson red.

"You think I'll let you do that?" Naruto said as his nails grew longer and he felt a rage unlike any other since he was a child. He launched himself off the floor and straight at Jellal, landing a devastating punch to his friend's gut. "I'll beat some sense into you! THEN WE'LL SEE WHAT YOU HAVE TO SAY!" Jellal was hurled back from the attack, his body crashing against a stone pillar and breaking it, Jellal's body feeling numb from the attack.

He stood up and swayed a little, even as his blond counterpart threw himself at him again. Jellal lifted his head and supplied magic to his hands again, smacking Naruto away and sending him crashing. "YOU THINK YOUR FALSE SENSE OF FREEDOM AND HOPE DOES ANYTHING! YOUR IDEA OF FREEDOM IS NOTHING BUT A FALSE NOTION IN THIS DARK EXISTENCE! I SHALL SHOW YOU WHAT TRUE FREEDOM IS!" Jellal used his magic to propel himself and meet the boy where he had been stuck in a crater.

The two of them exchanged several hits and blasts with each other. The walls and support of the cave's standing falling as the two exchanged fierce attacks. Erza watched in fear as her two closest friends fought each other like monsters. Naruto becoming strong through his anger at what Jellal was saying while Jellal seemed to have gained abilities through his fractured mental state.

Naruto viciously uppercut Jellal in his chest, earning a long painful groan from the blue boy. But Jellal repositioned himself and blasted Naruto downward, making his body crash to the floor and create a crater. Naruto ignored the state his body was in and tried to stand up again. He felt two arms encircle him and keep him in place. "E-Erza?!"

"Naruto, that's enough! We don't have to fight him! We can leave and find a way to help!" She lifted her head and looked to Jellal who was standing on one of the only remaining sodden supports as stones fell around him. "Jellal, please let us leave! Let the slaves go and be free! Please!"

Jellal smirked as he looked down at her as the walls crumbled around the three of them. "I'm sorry Erza, I can't let them go. I want them to see the new world with me?" He said as Erza lost hope and Naruto glared at him. "But it's all right, I'll let you two go" he raised his hand and gathered as much magic as his injured body could.

**"I'LL LET YOU TWO GO DOWN TO HELL FIRST! GO ON, BE FREE!"** Jellal threw down his hand and let a massive invisible force sail down toward them. Naruto's eyes widened as he released the hug Erza had on him and pushed her back, out of the blast's way. Erza was shocked as she saw Naruto push her back. She got her balance and shot her hand out but it was too late.

***BOOOOMMMM***

A massive eruption occurred where Naruto was kneeling, causing the ground to break apart and a shockwave to burst forth. Erza was caught in the resulting blast and thrown out of one of the holes the fight had caused. Her body flew out of the tower's dust cloud, injured and unconscious as she fell into the crashing ocean's waves. Naruto had passed out at the center if the attack, eyes rolled into the back of his head as blood came out of his mouth. His motionless body followed along with the falling rubble as he was sent down into a dark abyss.

Jellal stood on the swaying support beam and let out a sigh. "Well this just won't do. I think I may have ruined all the work and set us back a little." He looked from the crumbling tower to the last sailing ship he could see. Already well over a few thousand yards away. They must have left after they heard the first ship sink. "And there goes all the work force." He was about to move but cringed in pain at all the damage the torture and Naruto did to his body caught up.

Jellal thought through his options. He pounded his closed fist into his palm as he got an idea. He used his magic to propel himself forward and closer to the sailing ship.

**########Hunter########**

"No please, we have to go back! Nii-San, Nee-San and Jellal are still in there." Shō tried to persuade the older salves as tears fell like hail from his eyes. Wally and Milliana also sobbed as they watched over an unconscious Simon with a bandaged head and chin. The older slaves had already sailed the boat after the first ship sank, even at the protest of the children.

All the slaves ignored the childish pleas as they sailed forward. A slave was reeling up the rope at the side as he saw something floating in the water. He focused his eyes as he saw that the figure was a small boy. He raised his hands and cupped his mouth "Man overboard!"

The other slaves all stopped and grabbed whatever life preservers they could find. They reached the side of the ship and threw the floats toward the floating boy. He weakly reached out his hand and grabbed it as the others pulled him in. The boy was pulled to the deck as he threw up and coughed up a cup of seawater.

Shō pushed through the crowd and saw a familiar face clearing his lungs of fish piss. "Jellal!" He shouted as he dove forward and hugged the older boy. The boy did not hug back as Shō tried to get his attention. "Jellal did you see what happened? Are you okay? What about Nii-San and Nee-San? Are they-" he saw Jellal shake in place "Jellal?"

Jellal tried to hold back his sobs but failed as tears fell nonstop from his eyes. "S-she killed him."

"Wh-what Jellal? W-who killed who, what happened?"

"Erza! Erza killed Naruto! She went crazy and killed him as they tried to rescue me!" He buckled down and sobbed in his hands; Shō had an expression of horrified shock but did not change. "They saved me from the torture but she just killed him! Then she blew up the other ship with Jii-San on it! She went crazy from the pain and tried to kill all of us! She is going to destroy this whole world! She betrayed us! Erza betrayed us!"

Shō fell to his knees as Milliana and Wally looked on in horror. Soon enough, all three of them started to cry. They all sat there as the other slaves began to panic as well, wondering what was awaiting them at shore. The ship then descended into a party of screams and uproarious laughter.

On the floor of the deck, Simon watched with a heavy eye. He turned his head to see his friends crying. He wanted to ask what was wrong but he already knew. Even if the pain was supposed to knock him out, he was still awake for everything that had happened. He wanted to scream in agony like everybody else but noticed something. While everyone was distracted with the turmoil playing out, Jellal still had his face in his hands. But instead of the emotionally damaged hero they thought he was, he had slightly lifted his head to show off a maniacal grin.

Simon furrowed his only eye in suspicion. Whatever had happened? Whatever really occurred on that island? One thing was certain in Simon head.

Jellal was lying.

**########Hunter########**

"Sorry master, I suppose he may have gone too far with the fight. The tower is broken. What shall we do now?" The raven haired to said as she played with her teal orb in front of the former guild master.

"We will use this as a chance to scare the slaves back to that island. But I suppose I should use this as a chance to get him to start training." He shifted in his thrown and looked to his servants. "Did you really the message to Brain? About the arrival a mile off from Hargeon dock."

"Yes sir, he has arrived at the spot and is awaiting the arrival of the tools you promised him." Hades nodded his head as he looked down at the wreckage. The tower's top had crumbled down and caved in on itself. The wreckage from the first ship was still floating around near the coast of the island. And if you would look around the wreck, you would see the figure of two sailboats sailing away from where the ship once stood. One carrying the package to his fellow dark guild master, the other carrying something else.

"I suppose we don't need to stay here any longer. Set course back to land. Prepare a channel lacrima for when Brain makes contact with us again. I need to make good on the favor he owes me now."

Ultear looked down at the wreckage of the once incomplete tower. "It's a shame about that blond boy. He was quite cute and feisty. I wouldn't have mind to keep him around with us." She then saw how her master was paying close to no attention to her. "Especially with how he almost threw your plans back by himself, even so close to death."

Hades stopped his think and remembered what he saw the blond boy do near the end of the projection. "Yes but it is for the best. If he had survived," Purehito thought of the consequences "I dread to think how he would have stopped us if he could."

**########Hunter########**

The waves pulled back and forth upon the sandy beach. Only about a thousand yards away from Akane Resort, a figure washed up on the sand. A beaten, damaged red head girl with torn rags and a wrapped eyepatch soaked off her head.

Erza felt the cold salty water crash against her back as the waves moved over her. She felt some strength return to her limbs as she crawled out of the water. She coughed up some sea water and wiped the stinging sensation out of her eyes with her wet arms. She took a few deep breathes in as she tried to remember the situation she was in.

She felt her arm shake as tears fell down her face and onto her hands. The pain and loss of everything that had happened building up on her. The loss of the closest thing she ever had to a parent. She didn't know what had happened to her friends or even if they were still alive. Jellal's decent into madness in the tower. And how Naruto had possibly given his life away to save hers.

Erza looked up and saw the moon hang in the sky. It was larger and more brilliant then she had ever seen it before through the bars. The stars and clouds filling the horizons as all that was left for her to see was the massive rock. It then dawned on Erza that she was finally free.

She remembered what her whiskered friend had told them to do when they were finally free. Even at the loss of everything she knew and loved. She was out. She lifted her head and let out a long, painful cry and scream. Everything that had happened in her life, the pain and suffering, poured out of her as her tears fell to the ground.

Erza Scarlet was finally free.

**########Hunter########**

**_Done._**

**_Okay, now this is the longest thing I have ever written in my whole life. Even my essays at school would feel inadequate and tiny at the sight of this massive giant._**

**_So, that is how Erza got off the island. Next chapter will hopefully come out by the end of the year. And then more chapter after that when I can get 'em out._**

**_And before you start flaming me about how I killed him off and how this story is just going to be Erza with the memory of Naruto let me say this._**

**_NARUTO. ISN'T. DEAD. Everyone just thinks he is. But he is still alive, just let me write the next chapter._**

**_On a lighter note, I hope everyone enjoys their individual holiday season. May your times be merry and sweet and here is hoping the egg nog doesn't go bad._**

**_RxR Please_**

**_Merry Christmas, Happy Holidays, etc._**

**_Goodbye._**


	6. Memoirs of A Mage

Titania and The Hunter

Chapter 6: Memoirs of A Mage's Travel

Alright, as you have probably noticed, this is similar to the by gone Fairy Tail fic, 'Mother's Blessing' by Kur0Kishi. I started with that as a base and will keep if familar to what they had done for the first few chapters. I am using that because I was very interested in that story and wished to see how it could have progressed. So I am using that as a base for TATH, but if the original author does not want me to continue using this story then I will respect their wishes and remove it.

My story isn't about how Naruto is thrown into this world to beat everything with Kurama's power. My story is about Naruto's growth into strength through his own trials and hard work. And that takes time to make. So I'm sorry that at the age of six he can't take a piss and burn down the tower. Or how he couldn't just lift a finger and sever a chunk of the world.

I just wanted to get that out there. I know that this story has started slow but that is why I'm trying to get releases out as close a possible. If you don't like the stories about Naruto's journey, then I suggest you give the story time to grow and come back in a few months. So I can set a story and reach the plot.

And with that, I present the next chapter. Here's to 2013! Let's hope it doesn't suck ass. Also, important announcement at the end.

**########Hunter########**

_This is a day that shall be etching your future as it goes along._

_A powerful, invincible force shall take control of these winds of change and you shall find yourself moving with them._

_Through trials and trepidation, you will find yourself put through pain and consequences by this force; and all forces this one brings with it._

_But through this, you shall bare your teeth and find something new._

_Powerful bonds to be formed and strength like you have never seen before open itself to you._

_This day, is the day of your lucky encounter._

"Okay, stop! That's enough! I wanted a fortune telling not some hocus pocus, mumbo jumbo crap about fate. And what the hell do you mean lucky day!" The black haired boy yelled at his friend as she shuffled her cards again.

The girl in the little orange sundress pulled out some cards and looked at the boy with a played and exasperated look. "Look, it doesn't matter how many times I redo it, your fortune is the same." She showed him a card of a man dancing in the sun with a rain of gold coins, "and it says that you are lucky today. What is wrong with you? Aren't boys supposed to be happy at the fact that you're lucky, huh?"

The boy in his underwear sat back at the table they were sitting, crossing his arms and thinking about everything that had happened to him today. "Lucky my ass, today has been the worst day ever. I've fallen into ditches, dropping my wallet and losing my money..."

The girl deadpanned at her friend's behavior and choice of clothing "losing your clothes." She finished his sentence as he finally noticed what had happened to his wardrobe.

"Aw damn, not again. How much longer does this have to go on?" He picked up his clothes and put them back on as his comrades laughed at his distress at his tendency to throw away his clothing. "You see, your fortunetelling is crap, my day sucks."

"Oh shut up you big baby" the chestnut haired girl said as she took another sip from her cup of juice.

From his position upon the bar, Makarov couldn't help but smile at everyone's fun and excitement. Macao and Wakaba were arguing and laughing at each other about their performance during the last job. And Gray was yelling at Cana about something that had gone wrong in her fortunetelling. He laughed and took another chug of his booze from his mug. He lowered his cup and let out a content breath with how good everything was.

He lifted his head to see a shadow approach from the guild's wide door opening. The other guild members close to the door saw the figure coming closer. When she finally reached the middle of the dining space, she looked around in contemplating analysis.

"This is the place Rob-ojisan told me about." She looked down at her feet in regret and slight joy. _'I guess I finally made it.'_

Gray looked at the girl that had just arrived in the guild with a curious glance. The girl had strong, vibrant scarlet hair that was just a few centimeters from reaching her shoulders. She had a white eye patch to cover her right eye. She wore a ragged, horribly dirty and torn dress. She had some bandages wrapping around her right arm and left leg to cover cuts she received. And over her left shoulder was a nap sack that was filled with food and water in her travel.

The girl looked all around the hall until she spotted a midget of a man sitting on the bar counter. He was very short in stature, shorter than her by few inches. He had many wrinkles and grey to white hair on his mustache and hair. He was dressed like a jester; like he had just come back from a child's birthday party. And behind him was a long wooden staff that ended in a swirl at the top. She felt like she knew who he was and decided to just ask him.

"Ex-excuse me..." She said nervously as she came closer to the elderly man, buckling under his gaze. "A-are you Makky?"

**########Hunter########**

*Caw* *Caw*

A crow landed on a massive hunk of rubble and looked at its surroundings. Broken rock and wood covered the entirety of the island's surface. Other crows and seagulls landed around the crowded space as they started to pick at corpses crushed by rubble.

Dead bodies were being ripped and shredded by the beaks of the birds looking for sustenance. The crow jerked its head to see a tasty, untouched corpse near some rock. It flew over and picked at the blond cadaver, hoping to get some meat. Other birds followed its example and began peaking at the small body. They thought they were close to getting there until the body suddenly jerked awake.

"GET THE FUCK OFF ME BIRDS! I'LL SKIN YA ALIVE AND SMACK YA WITH YOUR OWN FEATHERS!" The birds all fluttered as the blond boy jumped up and swatted the feathered rats away from him. The boy righted himself and stumbled from the blood rushing through his head. He shook his head and gained his vision back, looking around to see nothing but rubble as far as he could see.

"Hello! Is anyone there?" He yelled as he cupped his ruin wrapped hands over his mouth. Naruto noticed the state his bandages and wrapping were in, scuffed and torn to hell. He started to tear the cloth off as the birds all reached a perch and watched him. He grumbled in annoyance at how much the covering was sticking to him. He got most of it off as the stuff covering his head was stuck causing him to pull with all his might. He got it off and fell to his butt, growling as he looked up to see a bird watching him curiously. "You just love this, don't you?"

*Caw* was his reply as the bird just pecked his head.

He grumbled something about stupid birds as he stood back up. He got a better look at his surroundings and held back a shiver. Some of the body parts of dead jailers and slaves were visible underneath the rocks. The ocean was all he could see for miles. The clouds and wind were picking up as Naruto looked out into the distance for a ship. He held a cringe as a cold wind covered his body. He shivered as he walked behind a large boulder to protect himself from the current.

He lay there, contemplating what had happened. The actions of the slave riot started to repeat. Him and Erza starting the revolution with words and stark action. The extended battles with the damn cult magicians. Rob and Simon sustaining injury in their fight for freedom. And finally, Jellal. Going crazy and nearly killing him and Erza with his magic.

He looked over and saw a jailer with his cloak still around his broken neck. Naruto undid the buttons and tied it around himself, keeping him warm. The birds shrieked as they tried to find a safe space as well. He leaned against the rock as a sense of hunger swept over him and he shut his eyes asleep. Thinking that he would start finding ways to survive until he could find a way to rescue himself.

**########Hunter########**

*Caw* *Caw* *Caw* *Ca-SQUWAK*

The crow on the perched rubble was knocked over by a harshly thrown rock. Naruto grumbled as he rubbed the sleep out of his eyes, yawning as he shook his head. He stood up and stretched out, limbering his aching muscles. He kept the cloak wrapped around his neck so that he had so protection from the wind and sun. He stood up and surveyed his situation once more. Bodies, rubble, waves, silence.

Nothing had changed.

Naruto walked around and started to riffle through the wreckage. Searching for anything that could even slightly help him in this situation. So far he had only found some bodies of the guards and slaves. Men and women who were not so lucky in their escape attempt. Any slave he would find he would pull the body to the outer shore and leave there. Hoping that a passing ship would see them and come investigate. Even if they were dead, they had been through enough, deserving to be buried on land if he could.

As for the slavers he found, he would just throw their bodies into a pill. In his eyes, they were always going to be the bastards that ruined their lives. He didn't care what happened to them. Be it rotting, or currently, bird feed.

"*huff* Okay, now what do I do?" He asked himself as he thought of his options. He looked between the rocks and thought of an idea. "I guess I should make a lookout." He said as he picked up pieces of rubble and started to stack them in a rough looking hill. The larger rocks he found he would roll to the man-made perch. An hour later, Naruto had made a decent looking lookout at the center of the island. Large enough to view all directions over the larger slabs of earth.

Naruto breathed out after finishing his work. "Okay, now what's next?" He looked around as a loud grumble took over the silence. He looked down to see his belly literally vibrate as wavy lines came out of his stomach. Naruto sweat dropped as he tapped his growling gut. "Alright, I guess I should look for something to eat." He laughed a little but then lost his glee and looked around him. "But where?"

He had no idea about what he was going to eat. There was no grub like the stuff that he was fed in the tower. And he wasn't ideal on the idea of eating rocks. So that left him with the choice of capturing a bird or...

He looked to the corpses he had fished out. He held back a gag as he shook his head.

"No no no, no way. Gotta think this through." Naruto started sweating bullets at his predicament. He then opened his eyes in realization that there could still be food for him to eat. Naruto started to climb over slabs as he moved to the general direction of the cellar at the basement level. Every slave knew that the jailers kept their rations and preserves in a contained space at the lower levels. Along with the food space were several other bunker levels that contained other things. But no slave actually knew what they held.

Naruto arrived at the general area he and his friends had seen those slavers talk at just a few days ago. Naruto took several deep breathes as he found the cellar space covered by rocks. The boy gritted his teeth in anger as he started to throw the rubble away from the doors. Naruto spent hours clearing the way hopefully to a stable food source. He started growing tired at the over exerting work, feeling weak from not eating for so long.

Naruto was close to finishing when he reached a much larger stone. He started to push against it but the rock did not budge. "Uh, damn. Aright, now you're pushing it." He channeled some chakra into his hands as he barred against the rock. After some effort, the rock started to slide over the wood, causing loud creaking sounds. And then finally, it moved...

"Hahaha, yes! I did it!"

Naruto started to jump in victory until he started swaying from starvation. "Oh right, food." He focused himself and grabbed the handle of the wood, pulling with some force. After a moment, it finally broke open and the door fell to the side. Naruto smiled as he walked into the dark space. He couldn't see anything at first but then he noticed his eyes were adjusting to the dark.

Naruto looked around at the remains of the slavers' food. Despite what he had thought, the cellar did not get out unharmed. Some of the ceiling had crushed the preserves and water, reducing the amount he could eat. Naruto searched around to get a better look at what he had to work with.

"Well this sucks." Naruto lifted some ruined meat that had been on the ground. He took a bite out of it and slowly chewed. "Uh so nasty. And yet soooo goooooood." Naruto savored the taste of the old meat as comical tears ran down his face. He continued to bite into the steak until he reached his hands. Naruto rubbed his full stomach in delight as he burped in satisfaction. He looked at the rest of the food around him, "some of it might not be in best shape, but I can't complain."

Naruto started to pack his food together in a close grid to access. He breathed out in relief that at least he had something to eat and drink. Naruto wiped his head and looked at his pile. "Alright, now I just have to spare this for a while. Need to find a way so I can be... What the hell?"

Naruto saw that there were two more cellars located far deeper in the dark. He walked over to them and examined the doors. One had a padlock while the other was free to access. He knew it would be easier to go in the unlocked one but his interest peeked at seeing the lock. Naruto smiled as he reached out and pulled on the door, his efforts were useless. He breathed out and picked up a large rock by his feet.

He raised it over his head and continually smashed the lock. "Let... Me... See... You... Sunava... Yes!" The door lock broke and fell to the floor; Naruto smiled and tossed the rock to the side. He opened the door and walked inside, seeing random objects and clothes around him. "What the hell?"

Naruto started to look around and search everything. There were fancy clothes and shoes, watches and lacrima. Everything that civilians would carry with them in their daily lives. Naruto had continued looking until he reached something the piqued his interest. He pushed through the clothes and picked up the shoes.

They were his sandals.

The sandals he had worn for several years. They were ragged and dusty from sitting in the dark. They were still dyed red from all the assassination missions Danzō had sent him on. Naruto inspected them and dropped them by his feet. He chuckled as he saw that his feet had far outgrown the toddler shoes he had once worn. That was all he needed to prove that he had grown up. He laughed as he kicked the sandals away from his feet and riffled through the slave contraband.

He found a new pair of boots to wear. They were black and muddy, proving that they had been through a lot. Naruto sat down on the concrete and pushed his feet through the slot. He adjusted them to fit more comfortably, slipping into them easier. Naruto fixed them up and stood back up, examining his new footwear. "Heh, I like. I'll keep these." Naruto looked through the rest of the clothes and tried them on. After trying some new shirts, he decided on a large black shirt that was a size too big. He put it on and ripped the lower part off, making it more suitable. After some adjusting, he got it to just the right feel.

"Now, let's see what else those bastards were hiding." Naruto peeked around the corner at the other door down the way. He walked up to it and noticed that it was no different from the others. He grabbed the handles and opened it, finding it easier than the other two. He looked down at the descending staircase into a deep shadow. He walked down the steps and looked around the shaded area, noticing that it was far larger than the others. Taking up a large portion of the lower basement. While Naruto was looking around, he missed a step and fell forward. Naruto yelled in pain as he tumbled down the stone steps, landing on the concrete floor.

"Uuuugggghhhh. Crap that hurt. That could have killed me, hahaha." Naruto laughed as he lay on the floor, holding the back of his head as he nursed a bump. Naruto slowly opened his eyes to see a skull only an inch away from his face. Naruto kept silent as a heavy weight dropped in his stomach.

"Aaahhhhhh! Get Away! Don't Kill Me!" He jumped back in fright at the skeleton lying in front of him. He took shallow breathes as his heart raced, beating at the sudden fear he experienced. He watched the sack of bones lay there, preparing for them to move or jump. He waited in silence as nothing happened. He stood up straight and coughed into his hand, an embarrassed blush spread on his face. "Well, I'll just keep that to myself."

Naruto looked around him at the numerous skeletons spread around the ground, dressed in the rags of men and women. Some of them were crawling toward the stairs, hoping to climb toward freedom. Others had swords pierced through the rib cage and back, showing that they had bled or been stabbed to death. A horrid smell had overtaken the floor around him, causing him to gag. Naruto finally noticed two skeletons resting closer to the stairway, on their backs. He stared at them and noticed the obvious ways they had died. One had his skull crushed and stabbed, instantly dying. The one next to him, dressed in the girl skirt he had seen for so long, had no skull at all.

He instantly recognized them as the slaves that had tried to escape last year. The man that had his head crushed and the woman whose head had exploded. Naruto then realized where he had found himself. This was the graveyard that the jailers threw the dying slaves into. If they tried to escape or were close to death, the guards would take them down here to rot. Naruto grit his teeth in anger at the growing injustice that he had discovered. How could they do something like this? They had rights didn't they?

Naruto calmed himself as he walked around the bodies. Noticing all the states the poor people had been out through. He then arrived at a peculiar corpse that was different than any other he had seen. It was a skeleton of a man that had most of his rags ripped and bloody. They had faded so much that he could tell that he had been there for many years. His body was arched, like he was lying on top of something. And he was atop of a large dirt clot, like a grave dug in a rush matter. Naruto approached the body and touched it; there was nothing even close to flesh remaining on the bones.

He flipped the body over to see it better. In his arms was a large bundle of objects, wrapped in the rags that Naruto had guessed were his shirt. Naruto grabbed the objects in his arms and tried to pull them out, finding it difficult due to the grin the bones had on them. After trying for some time, Naruto was able to slip the objects out of his arms. Naruto fumbled the objects as he fell on his butt.

Naruto heard metal clanking against the floor and then settle. He looked to his side to see two swords and a book open on the floor. Naruto crawled over to the first blade. It was a katana, with a stainless steel blade that stretched about three feet out. It had a golden guard over the handle in the shape of an oval. Its handle was jet black in color, with gold diamond imprints every cm. Naruto held the blade in his hand, feeling a powerful presence from the sword even though he could tell it had no magical properties. Naruto gulped as he fiddled with it, feeling stronger just from holding the amazing craftsmanship in his hand. Naruto swung the blade several times and could hear the air bend around it as he swung down. Naruto looked at it once more before placing it carefully back on the ground.

The blond Jinchūriki walked over to the second blade that fell out. This was more of a traditional knight sword that he had heard of. It was about the same length as the first sword, but had a much longer width then the katana. Its blade was dirty silver that had a long trench near the guard. The guard covered a large portion of his hands and the stub at the end of the handle assured that it did not slip from his hands. He felt that the sword was heavier than the other, at least another 3 pounds compared to it. Despite not being able to swing it at the same speed, Naruto felt like it could cleave through the hardest metal if used by a master. He was awed at the power these blades had, feeling like he could defeat an army with them.

Naruto laid both blades beside each other as he admired them. Whoever used them must have been a powerful swordsman. Naruto finally looked to the last object, a worn out book that was lying on its last few pages. Naruto slowly walked to it and grabbed its spine, lifting it up to see what was written in it. He noticed that the lines were messy and written in red, possibly blood. He glared at the letters to get a better understanding of their messy presentation...

_In...my final moments...I wish to say I'm sorry..._

Naruto closed the book as he realized that he was reading the last testaments of the dead man. He felt a shiver go down his back at the idea of understanding the death of this poor man. Naruto took a deep breath and looked toward the staircase. He looked to the swords and decided to take them with him. He wrapped them in the same shirt tearing that he had found them in. He hefted them under his arm and started the trek back to the surface. Before he left, he looked to the book on the ground, feeling interested in the concept of learning what this man had done. He picked it up and returned to walking up the steps.

Naruto came out of the cellar, seeing that it had started to turn dark outside. He walked back to the perch he had set up and sat down in front of it. He looked over some rocks to see that the birds had started to eat away at the bodies. He knew he couldn't stop the feathered freaks from pecking at either the bodies of the slaves or jailers. So he just let them have what they wanted. Naruto settled into the ground as he wrapped himself in the cloak again. He sat on the floor as he looked up at the illumination given to him by the stars and moon.

Naruto couldn't sleep so he looked at the book again. It was brown and felt like leather, feeling tough and sturdy. But the edges were run and rough, showing that it had been gathering dust under the skeleton for some time. Naruto felt his curiosity peek at the writing he had seen at the back. What had happened? Why was it in blood? Naruto tried to fight but opened the book to the first page.

_Owner: Kazuya Sakumina_

He saw that the lines were full of very well done handwriting. Naruto got comfortable against the rocks and started to read.

_Date: X750, August 07 Age: 10_

_Well, this is my first entry. It's my tenth birthday today, and Okaa-sama gave me this journal to document my life in. I said it was a stupid idea but she said it was worth a try. That I should keep everything about me written in a little notebook so I never forget what I have done. I think this will be the only time I write in this but I can't argue with Okaa-sama. There is a reason Otou-sama is so scared of her. And even though I begrudgingly accepted this book, I'm much more excited about my second gift. I am beginning magic lessons that I'll get to start tomorrow. I'm very excited so I've decided to go to bed right away. Goodnight._

Naruto finished the first entry of the boy's journal. Apparently he had kept this book with him as a biography about what he had done. And by the state of the pages in the book, he didn't follow through with his 'just this once' idea. Naruto continued to read the journal of the boy's life, finding it fascinating. Completely forgetting that he should be trying to fall asleep.

**########Hunter########**

It was night in Magnolia Town, the moon shining over the entire town. The light illuminated the waterway, making it shine across the entire street. She sat on the edge, her feet lightly touching the surface of the water. She knew she shouldn't go swimming but the water just felt so cool on her feet, she had never felt anything like it. It was a completely different sensation for her feet to go through. For the first time since she arrived, without letting anyone see, she let a small smile grace her face.

"Well, you seem to like the water." The girl gasped a little and shot her feet out of the water, blushing ever so slightly at being caught. She turned around to see the short man dressed in a brown coat he had grown accustomed to wearing. He had his eyes closed and had a grin plastered on his face.

"O-oh, Master, it's just you. I-I'm sorry, I should-"

"Nonsense Erza-chan, I'm not going to tell anyone. You just enjoy yourself." The armored girl looked at the man who now had a warm smile on his face instead of a grin. She nodded her head and submerged her feet. "You seem to like that armor a lot. You haven't taken it off since I gave it to you this morning."

"Oh yes, thank you master. This is a very generous gift you have given me." She placed her hands on the breast plate of her new armor. He had given her a choice of clothes to take from a large inventory he had. After giving her a white blouse and skirt, he said that she could take anything else she wanted. She looked around and found this armor. She immediately became attached and wore it immediately.

The little guild master sat down next to her on the river bed and relaxed in the night air. "Are you sure you want to keep wearing it?"

The little girl felt a cold sweat go down her back as she clutched her chest. "Y-yes, I-I feel better if I'm covered. I feel...protected." Makarov looked at the new girl in worry as she slightly trembled. He remembered what she had told him yesterday, about the tower and Rob. He had kept a strong face but he felt sick at the idea of what the little girl had been through.

"I'm sorry; I didn't mean to remind you."

"No, it's okay. I can't forget where I came from. Everyone that was lost and helped me on the way." She quietly remembered her grandpa, her friends and family, and her best friend that had saved her by pushing her out of the way. "Their sacrifice can't be forgotten."

Makarov watched the girl grow quickly downcast and become sadder. He felt his heart pinch at the idea of his new daughter feeling distraught. So he took a dell breath and rested on the back of his hands.

"You know, I don't think you should ever give up."

Erza looked to her side at the wizard saint.

"If your friends were so worried about you, they would want to make sure you are happy. And they would want to be there with you to witness your new happiness. So instead of thinking that all of them had given up their lives, hope that they are just around the corner. Because even though we have to work toward our dreams, hope makes them easier to bring. So don't be afraid and just hope." He looked to her and gave her a toothy grin, causing his wrinkles to build up at the side of his face.

Erza looked at him and felt a tear build up in her eye. This man was like a combination of Rob and Naruto. He had so much wisdom to give, but made sure she never lost her will to go on. She wiped her tear and nodded her head in agreement. They sat there, enjoying the night sky in silence.

"Hey, want to see me put my feet at the bottom."

"Uh Master, it's too deep. If you try you migh- WOW" the elder jumped off his seat and his feet immediately stretched to immense lengths, surprise the scarlet haired girl. He started to show her his Titan magic as she cheered for him to go on.

**########Hunter########**

Naruto woke up to the sound of waves crashing to the shore. He sat up and rubbed his eyes to wake up. There were no sounds of bird squeaking and waking him up, so that was a plus. Naruto looked to his side to see the book he had been reading until late last night.

Naruto had quickly become hooked to reading the entries Kazuya had put in his book. He had read about his training in magic from several magic teachers. About the basic understandings of magic and its history. And Kazuya had written all of it down because there were so many notes. And it also helped Naruto understand his magic status better.

He had learned that magic is the physical embodiment of the spirit. When the physical spirit of an organism connects with the spiritual flow of nature, the spirit forms Magic as a product of the connection. And that he could access his magic by imagining an invisible force appearing around him it was similar to using chakra, but it was quicker to use because he didn't have to meld the spiritual and physical energies.

But even though he could access his magic, it didn't do much to help him use it. So Naruto continued to read about what Kazuya had done back then. He opened to where he had left off and continued.

_Date: X750, November 15 Age: 10_

_Now I have finally started to learn a magic. When I was asked about what kind of magic interested me, I said I had been interested in swords for a while. I told my teachers about all the books and stories I had read about famous blades and weapons used over the centuries. Blades that could gather magic and transform their use. Even swords that were rumored to help slay dragons._

_I became fascinated at the idea of owning swords legendary swords like that, but they told me weapons as rare as though were banned from the public. And only the immensely rich and thieves could ever get their hands on them._

_So I asked if there was a way for me to get the blades but not be in trouble. They didn't say anything at first but then the elder Mage told me a a special form of Copy magic. I had read that the most usual Copy magic was capable of briefly copying one's magical abilities before moving on to another's. But he told me there was a way to use your magic to copy other thing by touching them. That using Copy magic to leave an imprint of something's existence on you would let you summon it at any time. A type of combination between Caster and Holder type magic._

Naruto raised his eyebrow in surprise at what he had read. Using your magic to permanently copy something into your magic pattern. So you didn't have to keep an item, but you could make an exact copy just by touching it. Naruto laughed at the concept. If he found a weapon that could destroy anything, he could make copies and send them out and become famous._ 'Hehehe, that would show Erza who's boss.'_ Naruto continued to read about how Kazuya had learned the magic style.

He had written that the basic of the magic was that he had to let his magic cover the object of choice. Let it dissolve and form around the blade, making a part of him. Then he could let it go and keep a copy of it with him at any time. All he had to do was let his magic take the form of what it had copied.

Naruto read that Kazuya had a lot of trouble at first with this new form of magic. That he tried several times to get a good hang of the forming until he could do it easily. Naruto had read on that it took him almost a year to make the feeling instinctive.

Naruto looked from the book to the blades that he had picked up. He s irked as the idea came to form. "Alright! That ain't so tough! Let's see if this is as hard as he said." Naruto walked over and picked up the katana, holding it in a firm grasp. He started to take deep breathes as he followed what Kazuya had said was the standard way of using it. Let his body relax as it let the magic flow over the weapon. Let the magic take control and cover his weapon. Naruto felt a warm sensation cover his body a he felt the sword be consumed in his power. Naruto stayed calm as he started to flex his other hand, a form taking shape in his palm. A sword handle had been created from his magic and started to grow from there.

Naruto smiled as he felt his magic finish. He opened his eyes and raised the new blade high. "I DID IT!"

On second examination, Naruto realized that his new blade was a piece of crap.

It was barely half a foot long and the metal was broken and scratched. Naruto sweat dropped as he looked at the makeshift knife in worry. "W-well it's not presentation but quality. That's what Rob-jichan said." Naruto laughed nervously as he regained his confidence and held his new Copy sword. He saw a medium sized rock lying beside his foot, which would be perfect for a test. Naruto picked it up with one hand and got himself ready. He tossed the rock in the air and timed himself just right. Right as the rock was coming back to the ground; Naruto swung his knife and made contact with the stone.

"HA!"

***SNAP***

Naruto felt his confidence drop as the metal shards fell back to the floor. He looked down as the metal dissolved and faded away as magic. His eyes were shadowed as he stared at the broken hilt. He spiked it in anger as the entire thing crumbled into dust. Naruto started to kick the dirt in a tantrum as he realized that his effort had failed. The rock hadn't even budged in the descent, but just shattered the sword copy.

"Damn damn damn damn. Gotta try again." Naruto continued to take the sword and make a copy of it, the copy materializing in his other hand. Each time the sword was still a crummy knockoff but had little improvement to the preceding copy. Naruto tried for many hours as he started to grow tired from the effort.

"Oh right, Kazuya said that in his journal. The more magic you use, the more tired you get. What did he say fixes that?" Naruto picked up the journal and found the page of magical background. "Alright. I'll just relax and eat something; I forgot to eat while practicing."

Naruto walked over to his food group and grabbed some fruit to eat. It had started to go brown but when you're stuck on an island, you have to live with it. Naruto walked back to his perch after taking some water to drink as well. He opened the journal again and continued to read. What could he say? A good story got him hitched.

**########Hunter########**

Gray was sitting at the table with Cana again, glaring at the new girl. She had been very reclusive since she arrived, just talking to Jii-San and eating alone. Even now, she was sitting at a barrel and eating some bread and water. "Pfft, what's wrong with her? She's always by herself, like she's better than us. Hey Cana, go talk to her or something." The Card Magic girl looked at him with a tired expression.

"Well I've tried to, but she just ignored me."

The stripper stood up with a cocky smile and pounded his fist in his hand. "Well we can't have that. I may have to teach that newbie how to respect the great Gray-Sama."

"Since when are you great?"

Gray walked over to the seated former slave and tried to gain her attention. "Hey you!" The girl just tried to ignore him as she changed her gaze. The boy grew ticked off as his patience ran thin. He lifted his leg and kicked the stool underneath her, causing her to fall to the floor. The noise had alerted the rest of the guild to see the two of them disagree.

"Uh, what was that for?!" She asked from the floor.

"This is a mage's guild. You don't go wearin' armor round here."

"Well, I'll take that under consideration when you start wearing clothes yourself." She patted her skirt as Gray blushed at the accusation, the entire guild cackling at the burn the new girl served him.

"Why you little!" Gray circled around her and pointed his finger in a challenging manner. "I'd like to see you be so funny when I kick your ass!"

"I don't wish to fight you..." She then matched Gray's glare as she stood confidently, "but if you wish, then come at me."

"Hehehe, you're gonna regret that, armor girl." He kept his fist in his palm as magic started to build in his hands. An icy wind building up as he got in his stance.

"Ice Make: LAN-"

***SMACK***

The entire guild looked in surprise as the girl just punched him in the head. The boy smashed into the wooden floor as his head smoked and his eyes swirled. She stood there with a smoking fist as silence built around them. Cana slowly stood from the bench and walked over to them. She knelt down and poked Gray in the face, hoping to get so reaction. After receiving nothing, she stood back up and coughed in her fist.

"The winner: Erza!"

The guild clapped in acknowledgement.

**########Hunter########**

"*Pant* *Pant* Al-almost there. Just a bit longer."

Naruto had his hands propped up on his knees as sweat dropped down his face. He had been practicing with the Copy magic for well over a week now. Forgetting his circumstances and need to eat so he can continue controlling the new magic. He had spent hours working on the copies of the two swords, switching between the two so he can test his mettle. The results of using the magic so much were obvious from the area around him.

Dozens and dozens of half complete swords and sword handles laid on the sand. Unlike the first few times, the results did not collapse into dust when they were dropped. So when he started to make more solid copies, the end results would stay there until they were destroyed by other means. He looked down at the original blades a few feet from where he stood. He stood up as tall as he could and readied himself.

"Alright, same course." Naruto took deep breathes to calm his body, letting his magic flow over him. He opened his palms as the familiar sensation started to build itself again. He felt the handles start to form as his hands gripped them. He spread out his arms as the rest of the swords had begun to take shape. After a moment, he knew his magic had finished the task. He opened his eyes and looked at the results.

In his right hand was a sturdy knight sword, the setting sun shining down on the iron blade.

And in his left was the katana, radiating power and grace from its excellent workmanship.

He leveled his arms and brought them in a high arc. And then brought them down on a large rock chunk besides him. The blades collided with the stone and created a loud impact, but neither of them broke. The swords reverberated in his hands as he held the tightly.

He smirked at the result. He had copied two swords. For the first time after so many tries, he had done it.

"Yes!"

Naruto jumped up in glee as he started to dance around like an idiot, avoiding the stray sword parts around him. After some celebrating, Naruto smiled contently as he placed his new blades at the side, brimming in pride. He then calmed himself as he knew that he was only partially done with the training session. He reached over and picked up the journal he had been reading so much. He reopened to the page he had found over the week about another magic type.

The process and abilities of it were written down by Kazuya. He said he was so impressed that he asked her to write down what she knew. So once again, Naruto let his magic take over. But instead of creating a form from memory, it just started to build and compress around him. His new magic style...

Armor of the Knight

**########Hunter########**

_Date: X759, June 9 Age: 19_

_It had been about one year since I left home and became an independent Mage. I have thought of joining a guild but I feel that I can do more help if I can travel freely._

_Today was... Well, it is best described as a cluster fuck. I was hired by a small town to help control a bandit problem they had been having. Bandits had continued to come from their mountain hideout and terrorize the people. When I arrived and gave them my services, they immediately begged for my help and pointed me in the direction._

_When I arrived, it was a large tavern that dozens of criminals had occupied. They all charged me but I was able to hold them off quite easily. I didn't have any problem beating them when I summoned the swords with my Ex-quip. I guess that is the result of my training, huh?_

_I was taking care of the issue quite easily until I met someone who stopped my swing with her hand._

_She had long red hair and purple eyes. She was looking at me with contempt in her eyes, I thought it was because I had defeated her comrades. I continued to attack her but found that my hits had no results. It felt like every time my swords met her fists, her hands turned into steel and parried them. And when she started to attack me, her fists left craters where she had impacted. I had never met a woman so strong. We had fought for hours and reduced the tavern to rubble, scaring off the criminals._

_So hey, I guess I technically did the job._

_After a while, we had taken a break from the fighting. I asked her why she had joined with these guys but she looked at me like I was crazy. Then she asked me the same question. I told her that I was sent from the village to stop these delinquents. She started to bellow and point at me like I was a fool._

_It turns out she was hired to do the same task by a neighboring village. And that we had wasted hours fighting from just a misunderstanding._

_Needless to say, I was embarrassed._

_We then continued to talk about our magics. She told me her magic was a type of enhancement magic that covered the whole body. Instead of increasing muscle mass or such, it creates a covering over the body, like a suit of armor. The more experienced and powerful you become, the stronger you can make the armor._

_When she punched a wall and it crumbled, I asked her if she was using it then. She said she didn't have to use it all the time anymore. Apparently, she used a method of weaning herself off the continued use of it to make her stronger. She would use less and less of it to complete her quests and missions. So her body could grow stronger by itself and not rely on the armor ability, as a form of adaptability._

_I was surprised about the concept and asked her to explain further but we had no time. So enough, the Rune Knights had started to charge at us due to the fact we had caused such a ruckus. We had bolted off a came to our separate paths. I asked her name before she left so I could meet her again._

_Erika Sōko_

_Heh, I hope to meet her again._

**########Hunter########**

_Date: X760, March 20 Age: 20_

_So, it has been about half a year since Erika and I have formed a team. And we had apparently become famous around the area. Everyone was coming to us with their magical problems and needs. It is fun to have so many missions to take on._

_Erika has started to teach me the basics of her Armor of the Knight magic. I asked her if she wanted to learn my Copy magic but she said she wasn't one to use so many blades. She was comfortable with just the sword at her side._

_Anyway, I am finding this style harder to use then my magic. Apparently, it is hard to learn too many other magic styles after using one for so long. It is embarrassing to see her laugh at me when I can't even form the cover. Even with her explanation which she says 'even a toddler can learn'._

_I think she just says that to spite me._

_The magic is based on a very simple idea. The basic thought that magic can be used to strengthen one's body. I just have to let my magic gather around my body like a cocoon. Then when I have enough eternano around me, I constrict it to a level almost like a layer of skin. The compressed raw magic is supposed to increase your base power by at least a factor of 2._

_Erika laughs at me and says hers makes her almost 10x times stronger. 15x if she pours everything into the armor._

_I wanna say that I hate when she does that, but it feels kind of endearing to know that I can make her laugh. She doesn't do it very often so it is fun to see her giggle like that._

_I think I'll ask her out on a date to the restaurant in the town down the road to see how she likes being in the laughee's position._

_See just how much she likes it. Heh._

**########Hunter########**

Naruto laughed at just how Kazuya was slowly becoming infatuated with Erika. How he had started to write more and more about her and less about his missions. In fact, he had started writing less in general. Finding that some entries were days to months apart. He would have to make sure that it never happens to him.

Naruto rapidly shook his head and focused back on the task at hand. Just like his Copy magic, he let his magic expand and flow out. But instead of letting it form an object, he stopped it and compressed it around him. He felt his body become warmer as the magic stayed very close to his skin. Changing its shape to stay around his fists.

Naruto turned around and looked at a large wall of rock he was practicing on. He walked up to it and raided his fists in a fighting stance. He reeled his fist back and punched the solid wall, feeling a painful sensation pass through his arm. He pulled his fist back and saw that a small crack had appeared where he had punched. Not large enough to change the structure but enough to know that he was stronger with the armor.

He smiled and let the magical energy dissipate from his body. He stumbled a little as he felt lightheaded. "Aw crap, I have got to sit down. Hehe, I keep spending so much time learning this stuff that I forget I get hungry." Naruto walked over to his shrunken pile of food that had started to go bad. He picked up some molding bread and sat down to gain his strength.

Naruto had once again picked up Kazuya's journal, his only defense against talking like a mad man and naming a rock Wilson.

He opened up to the page he had left off at last night. He had gotten very far in the Copy Mage's tales, well over half the book's length. He had read about how the man had traveled around, met a girl, became a team and fell in love. And last night he had passed a very important event in his life, his marriage.

Naruto looked to a small photo that had been placed in the book's pages. It showed a tall man with black hair and a huge smile in a tuxedo. Naruto had never seen the man before but he was sure that it was the happiest the man had ever been. Besides him was a shorter woman with waist long red hair in a wedding gown. She was holding a bouquet of flowers and was hugging the man so tight she could have popped him. Naruto smiled at the happiness the two had shared together. Wondering if he would ever be able to have something like that with someone.

As Naruto looked at the written stories, he had noticed that several years had since he wrote down about the marriage. And that every entry afterwards was erratic and nervous. Like he was scared and panicking. Naruto looked at the last article he had written.

**########Hunter########**

_Date: X765, March 8 Age: 25_

_Oh man, Erika has been telling me to calm down but I can't help it. Somehow, she is calmer and more collected about this then I am._

_That's bullshit!_

_If anyone should be scared it's her. She's the one having the baby! But no, she just sits on the couch, reading books like it was just another day for her._

_It wasn't like this when we found out eight months ago. No-o-o-o, she was smashing my head into the wall when she thought I called her fat. Plus her cravings. I have never seen her eating so much cake with pickles and steak. And cry when she saw that her plate was finished._

_But somehow, now I am the one who is terrified._

_I feel like my hair is coming out as I speak._

_But you know, it is kind of fun to wait for the result. She told me that she got the sex of it from the doctor when I wasn't looking. It's going to be a girl. I was shocked when I first heard but then I felt excited._

_I'm going to be a father in a month._

_I can't wait to see how she grows up. I'll make sure she's beautiful and strong, and I'll keep her safe at all costs. I want to see her become a woman, and find a happy life._

_But I'll kill any man that looks at her._

_No joke._

_And to top it all off, after several months of arguing, we've finally agreed to a name._

_We couldn't think of anything for so long but then Erika thought of a great idea. She got the idea of taking some of each of our names from a kind woman she met in a village. So now, I have a name for my child._

_My Daughter._

_Erza._

**########Hunter########**

"Tch. Damn it." The ice maker softly touched his bruised cheek. His face was black and blue from taking so many beatings from the annoying armor girl.

"Haha, what's wrong Gray? Got your ass kicked by Erza again, huh?" A rough looking, spiky blue haired Mage laughed at the embarrassed alchemy boy.

"Shaddup ya asshole!"

The older mages just laughed at his attempt to stay tough. A smoker with a pompadour just chuckled as he took another chug from his drink. "But seriously, that Erza-chan is amazing. She has only been here for a few weeks but has beaten Gray from one side of the town to another. We're probably going to be calling her Erza-Sama in a few years." The adults laughed some more before a loud crash was heard behind them.

Gray had smashed his fists into the table in anger. His teeth were gritted and a vein was pulsing in his neck. "I WILL NEVER ACCEPT THAT GIRL AS OUR NAKAMA!" He stood up and marched out of the guild, looking for his mark.

Gray ran around the town, looking for the scarlet haired armor girl. After an hour of searching, he finally found her sitting at the edge of the river. She had her knees to her chest and seemed to watch the water. He smiled as he charged down the hill at the girl.

"Found ya Erza! Today, I'm going to beat you down!" She turned around and Gray immediately froze.

She was looking at him in surprise, tears in her eye. Gray felt his stomach knot as she just wiped her eye with her sleeve. "Oh, it's you again. Okay, let's go."

He didn't move.

"Well, are you coming? Are you surrendering?"

Gray felt nervous as he suddenly felt like a bully. "H-hey, why are you always alone?"

She looked surprised as she lowered her eye. "I just feel easier by myself. I get nervous around other people. So I like to be alone."

"Is that why you are crying?"

She looked up at him in shock as he just looked at her. He walked beside her and sat down, he legs crossed. "If I'm around you can't cry, right?"

She gave a soft smile as she sat down beside him. They sat there in silence, looking at the river.

"Hey." She looked at him as he had a pink hue. "I'm sorry I've been an ass."

"Heh, it's okay. You remind me of a friend of mine."

**########Hunter########**

"Erza..."

His eyes were widened and his pulse was racing. His hands were shaking as the book started to readjust. This was her father. He had been reading about her father's life for weeks now. He was studying the magic he and her mother were using. He had felt a moment of excitement take him over at the idea. But then...he realized what it all meant.

They were dead.

That body he found was probably Kazuya's as he died. Those swords he had used were probably mementos they had. Naruto felt a sense of dread wash over him as the idea hit him fully.

He couldn't help her find her parents. What was he supposed to do? How was he going to tell her? How would she take it?

After a moment of worrying, he remembered what it was that he had first read from the book. He looked at the last few pages and saw some old dried blood staining the outside. He made a quiet gulp as he flipped to the back and saw the message written in blood.

_In...my final moments...I wish to say I'm sorry... I'm sorry that I wasn't able to help my beloved and my beautiful child. All I can do for her now is make sure she sleeps in a grave instead of rot out here. And I can only hope that old man can take care of her._

_We could only grab our swords and this book before we were attacked. We thought we could save everyone but I was a fool for that. Now I can never see my daughter again, and I..._

Naruto saw stains besides the words. He thought that Kazuya must have let some tears out as he wrote this. He couldn't blame him. He wouldn't be able to go on either.

_If this is ever found, please give it to my daughter Erza. Along with the swords my wife and I made. The Excalibur and the Kusanagi. These are all I can give her now. In my last moments... I can only regret._

_Not for my actions or fear of death... But that I have left my daughter as I bleed out._

_Erza, if you ever see this, I am sorry. I'm sorry I was never able to see you grow up into the beautiful girl I knew you would. Sorry I couldn't be there for you when you felt scared or alone. If I could, I would have spent my last moments with you._

_Just remember, no matter where you are or if you never know, we will be with you. Always. Watching you grow as you become anything you want to be._

_Your mother and I loved you more than anything else. And even now..._

_I love you, my precious daughter. Erza_

Nothing.

That was it.

He had finished, his last message written in blood as his wounds had taken over. The last thing he had done was giving a message to the daughter he had tried to save. Naruto couldn't describe what he felt. Fear. Anger. Shame. That was the best he could tell.

Naruto sat there in silence as the wind and waves just continued to move. He stared up into the sky for he didn't know how long until he stood back up. He walked over to the cellar doors again. He found his way to the farthest door, gate to the graveyard. He walked down the steps and into the dark, finding his footing on the ground. He walked last the skeletons and rocks and made his way to the lying skeleton.

This was his last place. Kazuya's last places of rest as he felt the hand of death reach for him. Under him was the grave he had dug for Erika as he had slowly died. Naruto just stared at the bones for some time before falling to his knees and digging his hands in the dirt. The dirt jumped as he continued to dig for hours, the moon rising over the surface. Naruto felt his hands tear as he dug, not minding the pain as he was focused on his task.

He reached the bottom as he wiped his forehead, covering it in dirt. He stood up and picked up the skeleton with a careful grab. He lowered the bones into the bottom as he climbed out. He pushed the dirt back in as his eyes showed no emotion.

He finished as he patted the dirt flat. He stood back up and bowed in front of the graves. Showing his thanks for what they had done for him, even if they didn't do it directly. He walked back up the steps and arrived at the same rubble he called home for weeks. He measured off at the wall he had scratched earlier and charged his magic. Feeling a new purpose fill him up.

He pulled his fist back and punched the wall again with no result. But instead of pulling back, Naruto punched with the other hand as he started to pound the wall. His fists made contact as skin started to break, blood staining the stone. But he did not stop, continuing to punch as his emotions started to flare.

And the wall started to crack.

"Rob-Jichan..." *Smash*

""Kurama..." *Smash*

"Jellal..." *Smash*

"Milliana... Shō... Simon... Wally" *Smash Smash*

*Smash smash smash smash smash smash*

"Erza... I won't lose anyone again. I'll protect everyone I care about, and I'll never let them die. I'll become strong! The strongest!"

"I'LL NEVER BE WEAK AGAIN!"

***SMASH***

The wall crumbled into chunks as his fist punched through it. The crashing of stone around him as he took deep breathes, blood dripping from his hands. He looked down at the rocks around him. He had to do more; he needed to grow stronger than this.

He looked around at all the rocks that towered over him. He clenched his fists as he got into another stance.

"Great. More practice."

**########Hunter########**

"Hmmm. Hmmm." The elderly pink haired woman grumbled as she looked at the scarlet girl with an eye patch. She rubbed her chin as she inspected the empty eye socket. "That's a nasty wound you've got there... It won't be easy to fix that."

"Aw c'mon" the midget master said as he stood beside the nervous girl "she's got such a pretty face, it be a shame if she hide it."

"Yes I suppose you're right, which reminds me." She bent down and grabbed the elder mage's ear as he shrieked in pain. "I don't ever want to see you hit on her when she grows up. You got it? I would hate to test out some new supplies I found about causing impotence."

"O-of c-c-course." Makarov unconsciously covered his nads.

"Where did she come from?"

"She was sent her by Rob apparently."

"R-Rob?! Where is he then?"

"She said she thinks he is dead."

Porlyusica looked over at the scared girl as she looked down in worry. She let her eyes soften as she worried about the little girl. She walked over to the door of her tree and motioned for them to walk in.

As they walked in, she asked Erza to sit on the stool as she examined her. She looked at her eye so she could get a good guess of eye color. "Dark forest brown. I'll get your new eye ready, so you just wait there."

Erza looked up at the elderly woman as she worked, Master chuckling in the background. As she was getting excited about getting a new eye, she thought of something.

"Wait."

The medical advisor looked over at the girl. "Yes?"

"I-I don't want a brown eye." The older woman looked at her in surprise. "I would like it to be sky blue, please."

She looked at Erza and then at Makarov. He was surprised but just shrugged his shoulders at her request.

After a few hours, Erza was getting the bandage off her eye. She kept her eye closed as she didn't wish to see the result yet. "Here" The pink haired woman passed her a mirror to look at. "I don't know why, but I think I got the color right."

Erza opened her eye as she looked at the mirror. The left was brown and the right was blue. The same as her best friend but on different sides. She felt joy overwhelm her as tears started to pour down her left eye. "It's healed."

"Yeah, so you can leave now. I hate humans and I just can't stand them being here. So you can le- What? Oh no, your eye. I thought I fixed it. What did I-"

"No no, it's alright." The older Fairy Tail members looked at her in confusion. "I don't need to cry from them anymore. I just wanted to remember that I have this eye now."

"But Erza-chan, why didn't you fix your eye to match your lost one."

"Because Master, I never lost my eye." She looked at him and smiled "I just gave it to someone else."

**########Hunter########**

"Aww crap, I'm almost out of food." A heterochromic boy with two swords tied to his back whined as he looked at the raw steak, rotten apple and bag of water he had. He scratched his head as he thought through the situation he was in. No ship had found him in the last month and he was close to finishing his supplies.

"Maybe I should see if these rocks can float? Or I could use the bodies to gather up some birds and use them to fly me home." He nodded his head as he grew sullen and started drawing in the dirt. "God I'm an idiot."

He stretched out as the swords on his back rattled. He had made a promise to their graves that no one else would use these swords. He would carry them with him alongside the journal to give to Erza.

"Maybe I could swim? But how far is that?" He looked out to the sea as he stood over rubble and dust, nothing left of the huge slabs that had once stood there. He kept looking around as he saw nothing. Until...

A ship in the distance. Approaching the island as he stood there.

"H-hey. Hey! Hey!" Naruto jumped up in excitement and waved his hands like a mad man. Trying to get the attention of the sailors as they came closer. "I'm over here! Please, come get me!"

He came to the shore and continued to make a show. He saw that the ship was definitely coming to him, so he calmed down and laughed. He was safe now. He was going to be saved.

Naruto kept chuckling as he saw that several lights were shining on the wooden ship. He stopped his glee as he heard loud sweeping noises growing closer.

***BOOM***

The spot besides him exploded, knocking him to the ground. He fumbled on the sand as he started running closer to the center of the former tower formation.

They were shooting at him.

Trying to kill him for some reason.

Why?

He had to survive. He had to see Erza and everyone again. He couldn't di-

***BOOM***

**########Hunter########**

The ship landed ashore as anchors fell onto the beach. Rope ladders descended the side as two dressed soldiers walked the sand.

"So why are we here again?"

"Because Master Brain is sending that weird blue haired kid back here and we have to make sure that it is clear. But I didn't think that there would be any survivors from the destruction last month."

They approached a smoking corpse. On its face as half of its body was gone, ruble and dirt had made large hills around where the blasts had impacted. "Well, there are no survivors anymore."

"Yeah, poor kid. He was probably hoping we could save him but oh well." He bent down and grabbed the boy's corpse to get a better look. "Let's see what we-"

He turned it over to see a half decayed corpse of an older male. His torso had been eaten away by birds and his face had rotted off. The soldier dropped the man as he wiped his hands.

"Ewwww, what the hell? He was already dead! Where's the kid?"

They both looked around trying to find the small boy they had seen on the shore.

One of them turned back around as he heard some rocks shuffle. As he turned, he saw that a blond boy with whiskers had jumped out of a pile of rocks. He dual colored eyes' blaring with anger as his fist was pulled all the way back.

"Eh?"

"HA!"

Naruto punched the man with his full strength increased with Armor of the Knight. The man felt his face bend around the boy's fist as he was slowly pushed back. And then, he was thrown back at vast speeds as his body crashed into the rock piles.

"Um, Wha-"

Before the second soldier could finish his question, he felt his feet being swiped out from under him. He looked down to see the boy who was pulling back his foot. He let it out as his foot impacted between the man's lungs and colon. The man spit out blood as his body flew several feet in the air, flying around like a rag doll.

Naruto calmed down as he wiped the dirt off from his shirt and pants. He made sure the swords were still on his back and the book in his shirt. He ran forward towards the ship that still had the ladders down. He made a dash for them as he climbed over the railings and onto the deck. He stood in a crouch as he saw several soldiers look at him in surprise. He stood tall as he smirked.

"Hey assholes. I've been trying out some new magic but haven't had a chance to use it. So..." He summoned Excalibur in his left hand and Kusanagi in his right. "Want to see where this leads us?"

"Attack!"

Naruto jumped to the deck and dashed forward, slicing three men in his way. As they fell back, he felt a killing intent aimed towards as a magic fireball was shot at him. He enhanced his legs and jumped over the explosion, landing on some crates. He turned his sights to some men coming his way, swinging staffs and swords at him. He loosened his grip on Excalibur and sent it flying, the blade imbedding itself in a man's shoulder.

Naruto jumped over a swing from the staff and landed right on its arc, stopping it from moving. He kicked the man in the face as he ducked another fireball. He jumped from the crate and ran around the ship, cutting the ropes to the mast as he did so. Wherever he ran, the soldiers fired magic at the ship, damaging it further. And any man he met, he would cut his legs with Kusanagi. After some time, Naruto saw that he had done well on fucking up the battle ship.

He looked over to see a row boat held up by some pulleys and rope. He smirked as he dodged another blast. He kicked another crate that collided with a soldier, knocking him on the ground. Naruto ran to the rail and cut the ropes holding the small ship, causing it to fall into the water. Naruto jumped over and landed on the boat, it swaying with his weight.

"Thanks ya bastards! I will forever be in your debt!" He gave them the bird as he jumped off the boat and applied his Armor magic. He grabbed the back and started kicking, causing the boat to move forward faster as he pushed. Water exploded behind him as the boat men continued to try and attack him. But as they tried, they lost sight of him.

"Damn it. We have to get back to shore and catch him."

The mast to the ship continued to burn as it fell over and into the ocean.

"Shit."

**########Hunter########**

"*Pant Pant* Yes. I made it." The whiskered boy laid on his back as the ship swayed with the waves. He laughed out loud as his body dripped from the sea water.

"Hehe. Now, I just hope the waves can do the rest. I'm so tirrreeedddd." Naruto chuckled as he rested his hands behind his head, looking up at the stars. As he did, he saw that this was the first time he had seen the stars so clearly.

And then it hit him.

He was free.

He wasn't in a cell at the bottom of a village. Or in a tower doing work. And he wasn't trapped on an island as he hoped for rescue.

He was finally free.

As the feeling he had wished for his whole life slowly swept over him, a tear fell from both eyes. He gained a massive grin as he looked to the stars.

"Is this that freedom you were talking about Kurama? I like it already."

**########Hunter########**

**_Done_**

**_Here is the big news. With this chapter I am releasing several other stories I'm hoping to take up as regulars. So far I have..._**

**_Greater than, Less than, The Inequal: NarutoxMedaka_**

**_Ex-prince of Konoha, New King of Deviluke: NarutoxTo Love-ru_**

**_Un:Coded: NarutoxCode:Breaker_**

**_What is with all the Naruto stories? I've got to work on expanding my crossover choices. Along with these I hope to make_**

**_Assistant Mercenary: NarutoxNegima_**

**_And_**

**_Ninjas and Samurai are enemies by nature, so they shouldn't be a team: NarutoxGintama_**

**_And to still make some regular update to Hunter. I will probably work on the stories with more viewer support._**

**_So, thank you for all the stuff guys._**

**_Pictures on profile._**

**_ReadxReview_**

**_Thank You_**


	7. Get Strong or Give Up!

Titania and The Hunter

Chapter 7: Get Strong or Give Up!

Disclaimer: What could I ever own?

Original Concept by Kur0Kishi

I see that a lot of people are hoping I continue with some of the other stories. I like that. Gets my hopes up.

Speaking of hopes: Sshhhhhiiiiitttttttt! A few more weeks! All I had to do was wait a few more weeks and these bomb shells could have been integrated easier into the story! Don't want to waste time so I shall continue my crushed plans and fantasies at the end.

Sorry this came out so late. Honestly; writers block and laziness. I could just walk around with drool dripping from my chin and that would have been an improvement.

By the way, now that I'm getting further into this series I will probably start adding pictures to my profile. I already have some of Erza's parents and the swords. Along with future pictures to add with my other stories.

Also, I should state this now. This fic will be a combination of anime and manga. Anime because it goes deeper into events and manga because they portray characters better.

Now as far as anime, recent Fairy Tail. Awesome Anime Opening and FUCK YEAH ERZA

Nothing else at this point so...

**########Hunter########**

_January 15, X777: Hargeon Port_

The sun rose upon the port town as everybody started to do their daily work. Civilians all walked around the market to purchase imported fruit and fish. Children were running around, chasing each other. And a few men were throwing papers to each building they could find.

A middle-aged man with black and white hair walked out of his store. He raised his hand to block out the sunlight that was pounding down on his adjusting eyes. The old man grumbled and yawned as he bent down and picked up the newspaper. He walked back into the store and warehouse he owned. He sat near the counter of the shop and flicked the paper open. He skimmed through the first few articles to find something interesting. And then noticed what was written on the front page.

_Heartfilia Konzern Takes Big Bunce Down!_

_As we all know, for some time the big corporate Heartfilia powerhouse has been hounding the Bunce organization for their business across the countries. Wishing to join businesses and expand the rail tracks and increase their reach. But the Bunce group has held out, wanting to outdo their competitors in this field. But today, the Heartfilia Konzern has bought out the Bunce Corporation and taken control of the entire east half of the rails in Fiore. Insuring that the Konzern will expand and grow to become even more profitable than it already was._

_But in the wake of this buy out, the Bunce Corporation has gone bankrupt. One of the oldest and wealthiest families in Fiore is now destitute. What the Bunces' are most renowned for is their artifact collecting through the ages. Their most famous purchase was the auction of 500 Million-_

"Pfft, more fat cats having to live with the rest of us in the gutter. That ain't news. I swear, all of these rich guys are going to be joining us in the bowels of society soon enough." He spoke loudly so his assistant in the back could hear him as he lifted crates around. The older man waited for a reply but did not receive one.

He looked back to the paper in hopes of finding something good. "Hmph, maybe there is something in the sports or funnies." He continued to rifle through the paper to try and find something interesting. He reached the middle of the newspaper and found the magical announcement.

He furrowed his eyes at the bad news he was reading. The articles over the last few weeks had all been about the same horrible rumor that was passing all over Fiore. That several dark guilds were starting to team up and work together. They had started to take control of weaker guilds and were building some kind of team amongst themselves. The man knew what that meant. That there was a dark cloud boding over the peaceful state Fiore was in. Causing a wave of fear and angst among most of the wizards and civilians in Fiore.

He then looked down at the following article which was written in a smaller box but was obviously just as important as the preceding note.

_Damnation Sighted! Fear Strikes The Hearts Of The Peaceful People!_

_As most of the citizens of Fiore know, there is a rumor spreading around that the Dark Guilds are joining forces. Whether this is true or just an idea spread around by a joker, we cannot be certain. But we do know that a true threat has reared its ugly head into our eyes._

_Damnation._

_For those who don't know what Damnation is you must have been living under a rock for too long. Damnation is infamous across the entire nation and beyond as one of the oldest, largest, and most feared independent guilds in history._

_They have gathered many followers and have trained to make each of their members stronger than most mages. And they have been watched and hunted by many guilds and mages for several decades. But none have succeeded, or returned._

_At the announcement of this rumor, they have sprung into action. Several small groups traveled around the country in search of these guilds. To hope and reinforce their belief. That they will protect this country. By any way possible._

_If you see any member carrying this insignia, please contact the closest Rune Knight Faction or Magic Council attention building._

The man looked below the emergency warning article at the emblem of the independent terrorist faction. A picture of a fist clenched within a burning fire. Signifying that they would do anything for their cause, even if they burned in the fires of hell.

"Man, it is scary to think that there are people out there like that. That can just kill and do what they want because they think it is righteous. Hey kid, make sure you stay away from those guys, okay?" The man barely looked over his shoulder to address his young charge that still paid no attention to him. Only picking up large crates that would crush most kids his size. The man growled in anger as he was still ignored. He mashed his teeth as a large tick mark grew on his head.

"You know, I try to be nice and help him. Give him food, clothes and a place to sleep until his time to go. So you would think" he brought his hands down and crushed the newspaper as he turned around and yelled "THAT WHEN I AM TALKING TO THE UNGRATEFUL LITTLE BASTARD THAT HE WOULD ANSWER ME!"

The whiskered boy roughly dropped the crate and matched the man's angry glare with his own. "WELL WHY THE HELL AM I DOING THE JOB OF THE OWNER?"

"Cause I'm on my break, gaki! I need a break to take the stress off of my back!"

"Your back? You're not that old, you lazy bastard! You're just pushing all of the work on me so you can sit on your fat ass all day and read the boring paper!" Naruto stuck out his tongue and blew a raspberry at the elder man. "You're so stupid, Ojii-San!" He continued his mocking until the man appeared in front of him and kept his head firmly stuck between his knuckles.

"What was that you little shit?" He rubbed his knuckles into the blond boy's temples as he tried and protest him to stop. "It sounds like you just called kind a stupid, lazy old man. But you didn't mean it, right?" Naruto sent some of his new magic into his fists as he tried to swat the man who was in front of him. But no matter how hard he tried, the man's superior height had kept him at bay. "Oh oh, gonna have to try harder than that, gaki."

The grey haired man started to laugh as he increased the speed of his nuggie. Naruto started to grow irritated at the futility of his fighting back. So he grabbed the arms of the man who was playing with him and swiftly kicked his leg up into the man's crotch. Parker stopped laughing as he felt the impact overcome him. His eyes almost turned white as he let the boy go and fell to his knees, holding his balls.

"Geez, I don't even know why I help you with this crap?" The boy whined as he picked the crate back up and put it with the others. Parker fell to his side as he looked up at the young boy.

"Be-because, I to-took you in when you came to the port last week. And I'm letting you st- ow, god- stay until the train sets off tonight." Parker took some deep breathes as he started to get the sensation back in his balls. Damn this kid can kick hard! "So make up for the free service and get working you punk. Oh god, my balls!"

"Why couldn't I leave when I arrived?"

The man sighed as he grabbed the bridge of his nose in annoyance. "For the hundredth time, the trains weren't moving last week. The company take overs between the train rail controls were to busy arguing to get any travel done. But they are moving again today so you can leave later." He walked to the counter and opened the paper again, "and get out of my life."

Naruto matched his grumble as he continued to get the crates ready for shipping on the boats in the harbor. He couldn't believe that he actually had to help this crotchety old man with all this work. When he finally arrived at dry land last week, he was starving and dehydrated. After a night of eating and drinking as much as he could, Naruto finally told all of the port men that he wanted to go to a special guild. They told him that the trains would not work until next week, so he had to stay put until then.

Every sailor around him did not wish to take him in for the time being, so Naruto didn't know what to do. But then, the salt and pepper haired Parker came from the crowd and said he needed an extra pair of hands. He had told the former slave that he could stay with him for the week, but that he would have to work off the interest. Naruto was not ecstatic about the idea, but hey, whatever helped him get through the week.

Naruto had to admit, besides the attitude the man showed, it wasn't so bad. He got much better food to eat then the stuff he had rationed from the tower. He was given new clothes to wear since his old ones were ruined, but he got to keep his boots. And sleeping in a bed was so much better than the alternatives he has had. Plus, with all the heavy lifting, he got many chances to test his Armor and chakra limit. And also, it was kind of fun to have an older figure take care of him like he was an actual kid. Not like a slave or weapon. Almost like a guardian or parent.

As Naruto started to finish with all of the lifting, he noticed that the sun had started to set. He had been doing all of the work for several hours and it was time to get his reward. He headed back to the shop/house and walked in to see Parker messing with something. He walked up to the counter and looked over at the man. "What are you doing, Ojii-San?"

The man lifted up the sack he was preparing and placed it on the counter. "I'm setting up for your travel, gaki. It ain't enough that you got stamina, if you don't eat you'll pass out like you did before." He grabbed the edges of the cloth filled with food and wrapped it up. "This should be enough until you arrive at a train station."

The boy started to shake in place with barely contained joy. "So this train is going to take me to Fairy Tail?" He looked up at the temporary guardian as the man brought his fist down on the boy's head and kept it there.

"No dumbass, I already told you I don't know." He turned his fist as the boy started to wave his arms in anger. "The train that is leaving tonight is a freight train. It only carries cargo and supplies so it doesn't have passenger cars and a schedule for us to check. So the train might go to Magnolia or it could go all the way to Seven. The trains won't start their normal travel again for at least two weeks." He looked at the kid with an inquisitive look, "you sure you don't want to wait until then?"

The boy shook his head as he looked up at Parker sternly. "No way! I'm tired of being stuck in one place. If this train doesn't take me to Fairy Tail then I'll just walk from where it stops." He huffed in triumph as the elder man could only sigh and partly chuckle.

"Okay, okay. Can't defy you, huh? So, do you have everything?"

"Yep!"

"Swords?" Naruto picked up two wrapped blades that were lying in the corner.

"Check!"

"Book?" Naruto pulled out a journal that he kept in his pocket.

"Check!"

"Alright. One last thing." Parker left the prepared boy as he walked into the back of his shop. Naruto looked confused as the man came back with a long black cloak. He bent down and fastened it around the stunned boy's neck. "There. That will keep you warm and it will keep you hidden in the dark. Remember, if you get caught, you'll get thrown off."

Naruto looked at his new cloak and played with it as he started to laugh. "Thanks Ojii-San, it looks so cool." The old man laughed at the childish behavior Naruto displayed. He could tell that the boy hadn't received many gifts if he was this happy about some clothes. Which would explain why the usually serious boy acted so young around him. This was probably the first kind of experience he ever had with someone who treated him just as a kid.

Naruto and Parker walked out of the shop and faced toward the smoke from the train. Parker shifted and looked down at the young man. "So, are you ready?"

Naruto grinned like a mad man and cocked his fists. "Hell Yeah!"

Parker laughed as he placed his hand on the boy's head and patted him. "Good. I'm expecting to hear great things about you soon. Becoming a famous Mage would be great for my business."

"Yeah. And when I come again, I'll show you just how much I have grown."

"Ha, that's good. Because when you come back, I expect you to work off the rest of your tab."

"What?! What do you mean?"

"Never mind! Just get going kid." He slapped the boy on the back and sent him off. Naruto laughed as he started jogging to the soon to be departing train. When he reached further down the road, he turned around and cupped his hands over his mouth.

"Thanks Ojii-San! Take care!" He waved to the distant man as all Parker could do was shake his head and wave back.

Naruto ran off as he heard the train start to whistle. He arrived at the station and hid behind some crates and barrels. He looked over the wooden covers to see some foremen conversing and packing the freight cars. As they finished talking, Naruto took this chance to run in the shadows and jump into the empty spaces.

Naruto kept crouched in the narrow opening of the packed crates as he stayed perfectly still. The men continued to load the train as he waited for the train to start. After a while of baited breathing, the engine started to boom and the wheels started moving. Naruto had to hold himself back from jumping in joy at finally getting on the road.

As the train started speeding forward, Naruto pulled open the fright door and looked outside at the passing terrain. The wind pressure blasted on him as he felt a cold wind flow over. But after a moment, he looked outside and marveled at what he saw.

He saw fields and rivers glowing in the luminescence of the moon and stars. The mountains and trees could be seen as far out in the horizon. Naruto could only smile in amazement at the beautiful landscape. He first unrestricted view of this new world.

Naruto just kept watching the terrain speed past as hours could have passed and he wouldn't mind.

**########Hunter########**

Erza walked towards Fairy Hill as she yawned from the full day of work. She had started to take missions on a regular basis, going on one at least every day. She had started off with just simple tasks, like helping merchants and promoting shops around Magnolia. But now, she was starting to take new mission that went out of the town limits. She had found a strange sense of accomplishment every time she saw someone thank her for her help. She almost felt bad for taking the reward after finishing her work.

As Erza arrived at the specialized dorm for the Fairy girls, she saw someone standing in front of the doors. A little girl with mismatched sized blue hair nervously stood in front of the door. She was wearing a little yellow and orange dress with a brown skirt. Erza walked forward until she was a few feet closer to the girl.

"Levy?"

The little blue haired girl looked behind her at the voice behind her. The older girl behind her was wearing her normal armor. With her hair put into a small ponytail and looking at her with those blue and brown eyes. She had felt very nervous when she joined the guild last week and she could feel a strong air around the scarlet girl.

"E-Erza-San?"

"What are you doing out here?"

The little new Mage started to play with the hem of her skirt as she couldn't voice herself immediately. "I-I was going to join everyone in the dorms. B-but I'm too nervous." Erza looked at Levy with an understanding gaze. She could sympathize with the Solid Script Mage's nervous feeling. She felt the same way when she finally arrived at the dorms a few weeks ago. She softened her face and gave the shorter girl a smile.

"I understand. It feels uncomfortable and nerve wracking to come to a new place like this." Levy nodded her head as she fiddled with the grip of her luggage beside her. "I didn't think that I would ever be able to sleep in a new place like this. But you know," Erza put her hand on Levy's shoulder and got the girl's attention. "You'll never know unless you try. And I'll be here with you to take the first step."

Levy gave a weak smile as a small tear pooled in her left eye. The older girl was trying very hard to help her integrate easier into the guild. She and Cana had already started to play with her and Levy got many good laughs seeing Erza punish Gray every time he streaked in front of them. It helped her get thought the pain of losing her parents and the memories of those horrible men.

As Erza led Levy into the dorm through the doors, she gawked at the beautiful rooms. The furniture and woodwork made the whole lobby as beautiful as a jewel. But before Levy could get more accustomed to the sight, she heard some footsteps coming from the doorway to the kitchen.

A wrinkled old woman wearing a violet dress emerged and looked at the two girls. "Well, where the hell have you been young lady?" She walked out with a ladle in her hand and pointed it at the armored girl. "You were supposed to come back here an hour ago."

Erza sweat dropped as she backed away from the small woman's seemingly angry visage. "O-Obaa-chan, I was coming back from a mission that was taking longer than I thought. It wasn't my fault that-"

"Uh uh, none of the sass. I'm reducing your portions today." Erza's eyes grew wide as she started to shake her arms wildly in protest to the older woman's decision. Levy just continued to watch as the normally unflappable armor girl was being played with by the short woman. "And who are you?"

Levy stopped her giggling and stood at attention. "I-I'm Levy McGraden, ma'am. I-I'll be living here from now on, I-if that's okay."

"Great, another mouth to feed. Like this wasn't bad enough." Hilda sighed as she scratched her head. "Well, I guess I'll have to give you Erza's half of the food." Erza looked at the dorm mother in shock as she continued to lower the amount of food she was going to eat. "But I have no beds, so you are going to have to live outside in the trees with the birds."

Levy looked at the aproned woman with big round eyes as she had no words to express. "Of course, I could use that other room but I like to keep my useless junk in there. Well, I guess I can clear some space for you today." Levy breathed out in relief as she looked up at Erza. The two of them looked at each other and laughed nervously at the strange circumstances they had gotten into.

"Well, if you two are just going to stand there, I guess there will be more food for me." Levy and Erza both jumped and ran towards the kitchen, voicing their reasons that they should eat.

**########Hunter########**

_Viola Train Station_

"Uh God, my back is starting to kill me." A man with a bandana around his hair whined to his foreman partner. The other man dropped the other side of the crate they were carrying and took off his cap.

"Well, what do you expect? When you take a job where you have to do nothing but heavy lifting, your back is going to starting taking its toll." He waved the cap in front of his face to cool himself down. He put it back on his head as he prepared the next car for cargo removal. "C'mon, help me with this will you."

The bandana man groaned as he straightened himself out and walked over to the handle of the car. The two men both grabbed the handle and pulled, sliding the wooden door over and out of their way. They prepared to take out the crates but stopped at what they saw.

A little blond boy with whiskers was leaning against a crate, eating a sandwich and reading an old book. He kept chewing on the bread until he noticed that something was looking at him. He looked over and his heterochromic eyes met the black eyes of the two men. He threw the rest of the bread into his mouth as he stood up and dusted himself off. He picked up the cloak he was sitting on and wrapped it around his neck. He then put the book into the back of his pants and picked up two large wrappings and strapped them to his back.

"Thanks guys. I was in here for two days. I didn't even know I arrived yet." He jumped down from the higher ground of the car and casually passed the two stunned men. The whiskered boy continued to walk through the station and into the town like nothing had happened. The capped man looked over to his friend.

"S-should we tell someone about this?"

"N-no. Too much of a hassle. Just pretend that didn't happen."

"But when they found out that some kid just traveled in the cargo hold and we let him walk off, we'll get fired."

"'You mean 'If' they find out."

The man with the cap cupped his chin as he nodded. "If. If is good."

Naruto walked down the streets of the beautiful town. Buildings and stands could be seen as far as he could view. As he walked by, he got out of the way of some young kids playing tag. The new Mage walked through the town and silently chuckled at what he saw. This was so amazing. He had never seen so many people together that were all just living their lives. Even back at Hargeon, he mostly stayed to the shop. Parker sort of kept him busy with all of the work.

Naruto walked up to a fruit stand and looked up at the bearded man that owned the place. "Hello little boy. How are you this fine evening? Are you hungry?"

Naruto poked his stomach as some grumbling noises came out. "A little."

"Well lucky for you, I have the best fruits in all of Fiore right in front of you. I have apples that have been gently picked from the healthiest trees. Bananas and oranges that make all others taste like garbage. Here, have a taste." The man handed Naruto an apple as the little boy inspected the red fruit. He brought it to his mouth and took a large bite from it.

His eyes widened at the wonderful taste in his mouth. "Wow, this is great. Thanks mister." The bearded man laughed a throaty chuckle as the boy devoured the red apple.

"No problem ma boy. The first one is always free, but the next few will cost you. But how about this, I'll give you a whole sack of apple for only 300 jewels. What do ya say?"

"What are jewels?" The boy questioned as he finished his apple. He looked at the core and threw it to the side as he raised his palm for another. The man just stared at the boy with a stone face.

"Get out of here kid. You're bad for business." Naruto tilted his head and walked off, leaving the bearded man to shake his head in disappointment. He continued to walk down the streets, watching strange four wheeled carts speed past and people walk around in stunning outfits. He looked over the houses and saw a mountain range not too far off. He walked up to a woman wearing fur and tugged at her skirt.

"Um, excuse me. Do you know where I can find Fairy Tail?" The woman looked down and saw a boy dressed in black with strange eyes. Naturally, for any high class member of society, she reacted as she was expected to.

Overly.

"Oh, OH. HELP! I'm being mugged by this-this ruffian!" She screamed as other people started to talk and gather around them. Naruto panicked from all of the screaming and crowded space and ran out the clearest path he could find. He continued to run until he couldn't hear that old woman's shrill voice pierce his ears anymore. He breathed out in relief as his heart stopped racing.

Naruto looked around at his surroundings. All he could see were people, stores and roads. As he surveyed, he noticed a woman who was putting down a crate of sugar outside of her store. He gulped as he walked up to her, thinking this was going to go just as well as the other meetings with people. He tugged at her long skirt and got her attention. "Excuse me."

The brown-haired teenager felt a tug on her skirt as she looked down at the shorter boy. He had blond hair and strange scars on his face as well as two different colored eyes. He wore a black cloak and had two wrappings on his back. The girl thought he looked very strange as she bent her knees to look directly at him. "Yes?"

"Do you know where I can find the Fairy Tail guild? I try to ask people but they either interrupt me or scream at me." He grumbled in annoyance at how he was treated by the people he met. The girl tilted her head in confusion at what the strange boy had said.

"Um, honey, Fairy Tail isn't here. It's in Magnolia. This is Viola." The woman saw that the boy just looked at her cluelessly as she shook her head. "Magnolia is a long ways away. A week by cart and a few days by train."

Naruto deflated as he realized what she said. The train didn't stop at Magnolia and had shot way past where he wanted to go. Naruto grabbed his head as he whined in irritation. He kept stomping his feet until he breathed out and let his hands fall to his side. "Um, Nee-chan, can you tell me which way it is? I'll just walk there myself."

The girl gasped as she looked at the boy in shock. "What? You can't go all the way there by yourself, it's too dangerous. There are monsters and crooks that could kill you. And the dark guilds and Damnation reports have sent people into riots. You would never make it."

Naruto shrugged off her warning as he looked around. "It's alright Nee-chan, I can take care of myself. See ya." As Naruto started walking, he felt a pair of arms encircle his chest and pull him into a developing chest. He started to squirm out of her grip and felt his air start to cut off.

"Oh no you don't. You need to listen to this Onee-chan and stay where you are." He started to wave his arms wildly as he tried to escape her grasp. She heard a muffle vibrate in her chest and pulled him out what. "What?" He took a deep breath and looked up at her with a slight pink hue dusting his face.

"I said I don't care! I want to join Fairy Tail." He almost pulled out of her arms before she dropped to the street and brought him along. She increase her vice grip and brought Naruto in deeper.

"No way! I'm not letting the death of some impatient kid stick to my soul. You are staying here." She continued to grapple with the boy as people on the street watched them with a variety of interest.

"Awww, that sister loves her brother so much she doesn't want to let him go. How sweet."

"My goodness, children these days don't even have the decency to be in a private place anymore."

"Why don't you do stuff like that with me." "For the last time, I'm tired when I get home."

"Hmmmmmm, I like this."

"Besides if you want to join a guild so badly, we have one up the pass. Blue Pegasus is one of the most famous guilds in all of Fiore. I'm sure Master Bob would give you a spot so you don't have to kill yourself." She felt the boy fight even harder as her grip started to fade.

"For the last time, I only want to join-" Naruto stopped his fighting as he lay on the girl's chest and looked up at her. "Wait. Did you say Pegasus?"

"Huh? Yeah, why?"

"And Master Bob?"

"Yes, his is the guild master for that place. Why do you care?" Naruto didn't answer her as he just remembered the stories his old grandfather told him so much about. And about his friend Bobby, and the horse ranch he started.

"Ca-can you show me the way?"

**########Hunter########**

The building was large, larger than any other he had ever seen. It was formed by pink bricks that covered the entire building. It had two large towers and colored glass framing the windows. At the sides of the building were intricate wings that looked like a bird's. And over the door way was a banner with a pink horse covered by two flowery ornaments.

Naruto felt a wave of nervous tension spill over him as he walked up the beautifully crafted steps. He reached the doorway and took a deep breath. "Okay, here goes nothing." He grabbed the handles of the door and pushed forward. A bright light took over his view as he squinted and tried to see past it.

As the light died down, Naruto saw what he could only describe as a huge ball of wealthy people. Several men and woman were dressed in the fanciest and most stunning garments he had ever seen. The room was dimmed slightly to give the entire place a fancy visage. Every adult was holding onto a glass with the most finely imported wines and beverages. They were talking about important events and parties they had recently been to. Naruto felt a sense of amazement strike him at what he was seeing.

He then felt like it was pretty obvious he wasn't a member. From the way he was dressed in hand-me-down pants and shirts while the men were dressed in suits and tuxedos.

He walked through most of the crowd as they all talked and laughed. He noticed a wooden platform with stools in front of it. Behind the bar were hundreds of wonderful wines and glasses. And looking away from him was a round man with a bald head. Naruto couldn't see his features from any angle he could make. So he jumped to the leather stool and sat at the bar, waiting in baited breath.

Naruto took several deep breathes as he prepared his question. "Um sir, can you help me? I'm trying to find a Bobby-San, do you know where I can find him?"

The bald man let out a content sigh at what the new voice said to him. "Ah, Bobby, I haven't heard that name in a long time. Why do you ask?" Naruto chuckled as he scratched the back of his head.

"Well, I remember hearing that name in some old stories and I thought he could help me." He lowered his hand and put it on the counter. "So can you tell me where he is?"

The faceless bartender let out a strangely feminine giggle at what he just said. "Oh, that shouldn't be too hard." He turned around and looked at the boy as the young man gained a slightly surprised look. The bartender had squinted eyes and lipstick on his lips. And his cheeks were vibrant red with some strange paint. A pair of white wings came into view as they popped out of his back. Naruto finally noticed that the man was wearing a strange pink dress that no man like him should wear. He was also wearing a stranger hopped necklace around his neck.

The transvestite lifted his hand to cover his mouth as he let out a tiny giggle. "I am Bobby."

Naruto's eyes turned white as his blood turned to ice and his face went pale.

Bob moved towards the bar counter as he rested his chin in his hands, looking the new boy directly in his empty, fear stricken face. "And may I ask why such a cute young lad would be asking for me? And what it is I can help you with, mr.-"

Naruto shook violently as sweat poured from every part of his body; even the parts he didn't know could get sweaty. "N-N-Na-Na-Naruto Uzu-Uzumaki, s-sir-ma'am!"

"Oh, Naruto-chan~, that is a very nice name for such a nice young boy. And I love these whiskers you have on your face. They are so mesmerizing; I've never seen anyone with something like them." Bob reached forward to touch his face but Naruto lurched back, accidentally falling out of his stool. Bob looked over the counter at the boy who was sprawled on the floor with stars over his head.

"Oh my, are you okay?" Naruto looked up at the concerned elderly man but froze when he saw that half the man's body was coming out of the bar! The man walked out like he had no body and bent down, meeting Naruto on the floor. "You are lucky. Not many boys are as tough as you."

Naruto crawled backwards as he tried to get some distance between him and the man-lady. Beer and wine from some of the most expensive variety. Men and women all looking like they came from the most famous banquet in the country. And now a half man wearing a dress was coming on to him while he walked through walls.

Could this get any weirder?

"*Sniff* *Sniff*"

Naruto stopped in his tracks as he felt another force behind him. Something that was inhaling his hair as he was lying on the ground. Naruto raised himself on his hands as he turned around; trying to see what was keeping him from safety. What he saw was so horrifying and traumatic, that it would affect his life for years to come.

"~Men~"

"AAAHHHHHHHHH!"

**########Hunter########**

Erza punched Gray over the head as she saw the boy walk through the guild almost naked. She sighed in disbelief at how this boy could just walk through an open area without realizing he was in his skids. "Geez Gray, are you ever going to learn? No one wants to see you strut naked."

Gray grabbed his aching red bump and glared at the armored girl. "Shut up Erza! If you have a problem tell me don't smash my head in! I can't take any more of it! What if my brains turn to mush?"

"You mean more than they already were?" Gray glared to the table where Cana was silently drinking her juice as Levy laughed at what the fortune teller had said.

"Hahaha, th-that's mean, Cana-San. You shouldn't make fun of Gray-San so much." Levy held her sides as some joyful tears appeared in her eyes. Cana just sighed and tapped Levy's back to help the girl.

"Levy, you shouldn't bother with honorifics here. All sense of decency and politeness goes off faster then Gray's undies." The Ice Maker yelled at her choice of an analogy but was smacked by Erza again because he still hadn't put on any clothes. "Just call me Cana, okay?"

Levy smiled and nodded in agreement. The two girls noticed Erza had sat back down and continued to eat her cake. "My goodness, I'll never be able to eat in peace with someone like him around." She took a big bite of her cake and smiled happily at the wonderful taste. She swallowed and looked at her guild mates, "thank god there aren't two of them."

"Yeah, keep eating Erza. One day you'll eat so much of it that armor is going to pop right off of you." Erza grew a tick mark and started to pull the cheeks of Gray after his smartass remark. Everyone who saw only laughed as she continued.

_"~~~~aahhh~~~~"_

Erza stopped her torture as she dropped Gray and looked off into nothing. The three young mages all looked at the dual eyed girl as they wondered what she was doing. Cana looked between all of them as she touched Erza on the shoulder.

"Hey Erza, are you ok?"

The scarlet girl looked back at her with a startled movement. She took some quick breathes as she regained her bearings. "Yeah-yeah I'm fine. It's just..."

"What?"

"I felt like something horrible just came into this world."

**########Hunter########**

"Ah yes, this is quite an interesting and unique scent." The short stature man mused as he silently nodded and looked at the new boy. The new boy who was currently clawing his way out of the wall and trying to run, his eyes pale from the experience of seeing his 'handsome' face no doubt. "The scent that makes me see the wonders and experiences that such a young youth has gone through. ~Men~."

The short man with the orange hair, shiny flat nose and high cheek bones walked over to the now slightly calmer boy and reached out his hand. "What is your name, my young friend?"

"N-Naruto. Who-who are you Ossan?" He took the hand given to him and stood back up, noting that he was about the same height as the strange troll thing in front of him.

"Ossan? I am not an old man my boy. I am only 21 years old. But it is understandable." He moved his hands in a wonderful formation, lights and stars seemingly appearing from where his hands moved. "I am looked up to by many as their wise and wonderful Sempai. A man who has seen the wonders and beauties of many lands and people." He struck a pose with his body in a different direction and his hands sparkling at the young boy.

"The man who changes the world in One Night. Ichiya Vandalay Kotobuki. ~Men~ ~Men~ ~Men~"

Naruto was silent as he could only gawk at the absurd man. Soon enough, other members of the guild gathered around and saw what one of its most famous members was making so much fuss about. The people gathered around and looked at the frightened blond boy in a cloak and wrappings.

A male member voiced his thoughts, "My, what a strange boy."

An older man then said his piece, "His clothes are quite horrendous. He must have gotten them out of the garbage."

Then a female member walked up to the boy and pulled his cheek, gaining some grumbles of protest in return. "But these little lines on his face make him look like a kitty. And he is soooo cute too. He is going to be quite the looker when he grows up."

Other female members started to gather around and play with the boy who was trying to squirm out of their grasp. They all squealed and giggled as they started to pull on his cheeks and look at his wonderful eyes. Soon enough, a pair of heels started to click against the floor as another member made herself known.

"What is going on?" Some of the other male member looked away from where the blond boy was being gang banged and looked at the teenager who asked the question. A young woman with light green hair and wearing a red coat asked as she wondered what all the noise was about.

Bob walked over to the teenaged girl. "Ah, Karen-chan, I see you are back from your mission. How was it?"

"About the same as all the other missions I get. I just had to let them take some pictures and we were done." She looked back to where most of the female members were gathering around. "What happened here?"

"Oh, you mean what is with all the excitement?" Bob let out a girly giggle as he looked to where a pair of booted feet was swinging back and forth in the pile. "We just found ourselves a new toy and the girls want to test him out."

"Is that so. Well, I'll have to see what he is like myself." She started to pat herself down and realized that she had lost something. "Can someone help me find my purse?"

"I have it Karen-San." The green haired beauty looked over to see a young man about the same age as the aforementioned blond boy run up to the slightly older woman. The boy in question had messy brown-blond hair, wearing a small black suit. He ran up to her and handed her the purse. "Here you go Karen-San."

"Oh, thank you Hibiki-kun." She bent down a little and took the purse from his hands. She held his face with her hands and looked him in the eyes. "You are so kind to me. That is why I love you so much." She gave him a kiss on the cheek as the boy blushed and swooned a little. "Always be my little man, okay?"

"Yes ma'am!" The boy saluted as the woman playfully laughed. Bob only chuckled a little at the young man's enthusiasm to her teasing. And a few feet away, another young girl was sitting at a table with another boy, watching what was happening with a cute pout.

"It's not fair! Why does she get everything just because she's pretty? She keeps teasing Hibiki-kun like he was her own personal play toy. What do you think?" The blond girl with the wavy ponytail hair asked her booth mate in irritation. She got no answer in return so she looked over to the fair skinned boy. "Ren-kun?"

"Huh? Oh sorry Jenny, I wasn't listening." The black haired boy said as he looked off into the distance. "I was thinking about what Aniue said to me earlier about making myself more appealing. Like I should play a different attitude or get a little tan." He looked over to his female friend with an inquisitive eyebrow, "would I look good with a tan?"

"Watch out for those things Ren-kun, I hear they are bad for your skin."

Ichiya walked over to his master as the commotion about the whiskered boy continued. "Master?"

"Hmm, what is it Ichiya-chan?"

"Well, it is about the ~perfume~ of that wonderful new lad. You see..."

Bob looked at his guild member with an inquisitive look. "What is it?"

"Sir, that young man has some traces of ~perfume~ similar to your friend from a few weeks ago." Bob's eyebrows lifted in surprise as he kept his eyes closed. That was more than surprising.

"ENOUGH!"

Everyones' attention landed on the panting boy whose clothes were all messed up and pulled out. He took in some deep breathes as he looked over to the strange sniffing man and the transvestite. "What the hell kind of place is this? I try to ask a guy something and it turns out he is a woman. Then some guy sniffs my head and I get attacked by all these girls. What is this place?"

Ichiya stuck another pose as he pointed to the worried child. "My dear boy, this is the pinnacle of beauty. Where the most fabulous of men and women come together to save this nation. We are a beauty that matches the wonderful creature of legends and myth. We are Blue Pegasus."

All of the members gathered together and struck their own individual poses. "Our motto: Pants are Optional!"

Naruto only sweat dropped at the craziness this weird guild was showing. He shook his head as all of the members laughed and dispersed, forgetting about him and going back to their conversations. "There is no way Rob-jichan's friend owns this place. It is just too weird." Bob stopped his musings as he heard what the whiskered new boy had said and walked over to him.

"Did you just say Rob? As in Robby-chan?" Naruto looked up at the strange man in surprise.

"Ye-yeah. I met Rob-jichan when we were stuck together and he told me so much about all of his friends. And he said that his friend Bobby made a guild named Blue Pegasus. Are you really that Bobby?" Bob nodded his head with a heartfelt smile. "You are nothing like the stories said."

"Yes well time does crazy things to all of us." He laughed a dainty laugh as he concentrated on the boy once more. "When was the last time you saw him?" Naruto looked down in shame and pain as he was forced to remember that awful memory.

"I-I left him hurt on a boat to get off the island. I thought he was going to be safe but..." He clenched his fists in regretful anger. Bob looked at the boy in worry as he put his hands on the boy's shoulder.

"It's alright. I think I have someone you might want to meet." Naruto looked up at the confused man with wonder as he was led out the back of the building. Naruto saw a long road pass going into the forests and into the mountains. He looked up at the cross-dressing master.

"A friend of mine lives right up this passage. He lives in the mountains around the snowy area. Tomorrow, I'll show the way there and I'll be able to help you then." He was about to lead the boy back inside before the young man sprinted down the path and into the trees.

"Wa-wait! It's almost dark out! It's too dangerous by yourself!"

Naruto turned around and yelled back to the old Fairy Tail member. "It's okay Bob-San, I can take care of myself. I'll see you soon." The boy sped forward into the snowy mountain range.

Bob raised his hand to signal for the boy to come back but he was already too far. "*Sigh* My goodness, that boy is so impulsive. He's just like Makky-chan and Rob-chan in the old days. I hope he will be okay."

**########Hunter########**

Naruto stomped forward through the snow as his boots crunched into the white frost. His path had been covered by the frost and he couldn't see a clear path through. All he could see was illuminated by the light from the moon and the stars. The night had come faster then he had expected as noises and strange calls were being made through the bushes and trees.

Naruto took in the scent of the pine trees and the snow around him. And even though he wasn't certain, he thought he was being followed. It wasn't a mage because they didn't follow him from behind. It wasn't even a person from the sound of continuous crunching of the snow. Naruto continued to walk forward until he was sick of it and faced the moving bush.

"Whatever is there, show yourself! I'm sick of hearing you follow me like some pussy coward freak! Come out now!" He turned around as the sight of his flapping cloak and wrapped swords was intensified by the moonlight.

He waited a few moments in baited breath as he got no reply in the end. Then a low, loud rumble over took his ears as he heard branches break and snow crunch. Naruto felt his breath hitch as out of the trees and bushes came a white scaled lizard monster with wings. The thing was quite large, bigger then him but smaller then what Kurama shrunk into. At least a medium sized creature with sharp talons and fangs. It looked young for its size and race, whatever it was? The creature stared at the boy, its black eyes made more threatening by the reflection of the moonlight.

Naruto waited a few moments until he let his hands slowly come out of his cloak. He continued to look at the monster as Excalibur and Kusanagi started to form in his hands. They continued to stare at each other as neither the boy nor the creature made a move.

Suddenly, the lizard lunged forward at the boy, its teeth blaring as its mouth was wide open. Naruto's eyes widen in surprise as he rolled to the side, dodging the beast's bite. He landed on the floor and saw that the creature had taken a bite out of the tree he was in front of. The lizard pulled back and looked at the boy that had dodged him.

Naruto put the swords in front of him in an x-formation. He sent some Armor to his feet and sped forward, swinging his sword at the monsters wings. The creature ducked down and dodged his swing, hearing the air being spread above its head. Naruto continued to swing his swords like an experienced amateur as the creature swiftly moved side-by-side.

Naruto made a weak swing as he stopped it mid-arc and brought his Excalibur down on the creature. It took the blunt of the weak attack with its scales as the boy tried to cut through the hard body. Naruto mashed his teeth as he got no further in his cut. He brought Kusanagi up to follow through with attack but the lizard swung its spiked tail and broke the tip of Excalibur. Naruto made a sound of displeasure as he jumped back to avoid the second swing from the tail.

He held on the broken knight sword and gripped the Japanese sword tighter. The nervous whiskered boy felt his heart beat as he continued this fight. He barely had any personal experience in fighting that wasn't changed by Kurama and was an amateur at hand-to-hand and swordplay. The only fighting he had done was with flunky wizards and weak jailers. The lizard brought its tail crashing into the snow as some vapor came flying up. It leveled itself and glared at the slightly panting boy.

It opened its mouth and felt some magic pool together in the back of its throat. Naruto stared in wonder as the white energy started to crackle and form into sparks. His eyes opened in fear as he realized that he was about to be shot at.

The lizard shot a bolt of lightning that headed straight for the stunned boy. Naruto instinctually raised his Excalibur to protect himself but the force from the attack destroyed the rest of the cracked steel. The blade broke into pieces as part of the attacked nicked Naruto in the shoulder, causing him to roll back. He steadied himself and glared at the lizard as its attack faded out.

Naruto ran forward with all of his might and sent more Armor to his arms and legs, increasing his strength. He threw the hilt of Excalibur at the creature to gain its attention as he grabbed Kusanagi with both hands.

The lizard jumped to the side to avoid the useless hilt but was right in the path of the boy's next attack. It leaned back to avoid most of the swing but Naruto raised his blade and shifted into the creature's scales, drawing some blood from the scratch. The creature made a weak growl as it avoided more of the attacks.

Naruto's blade made weak but quick contact with the scales, his strengthened swings caused scratches to appear all over its body. When the creature shifted to the side, Naruto made a fast cut into the first layer of the monster's wing. The creature looked at the small scar appearing on its wing. It growled in anger as it looked at the whiskered boy.

Naruto held the blade in front of him and matched the heated glare it was giving him. The creature flapped its wings and gained the height advantage, blocking the light from Naruto's eyes as it swung its talons at the boy. Naruto used his magic to take the blunt of the attack but fell to his side. He groaned in pain as he looked back up to see the lizard prepare the second attack.

He jumped up and held the blade up, parrying the attacks from the talons as he was forced backwards. He took several steps back as the creature continued its charge forward. Naruto felt his back land to a tree and felt another attack get prepared for his head.

As the reptilian ram its claw forward, Naruto added all the strength he could and thrusted the blade forward. Kusanagi pierced the creature's paw and continued into the base of the leg. As Naruto moved the blade, the lizard roared out in pain.

**"Wwwwrrrraaaaaaaaaaaa"**

The winged beast flew back and landed on the snow, its blood staining the pure white frost beneath it. It held back another roar in pain as he softly limped on its pierced leg. Naruto got his back off the tree and leveled the blade back at the creature. "Dumb move to attack me, you bastard. Now get out of here before I make you wish you never met me."

The lizard raised its head and half of its face was darkened from the moonlight. It continued to glare at the human until it opened its mouth and gathered more magic into it. Naruto prepared to dodge or receive the next attack by any means.

The lizard opened its mouth and shot the lightning straight into the ground, evaporating the snow and raising a cloud of dust and vapor. Naruto's eyes widen in surprise at the clever strategy the monster had played on him.

He raised the blade and waited for any signs that he could see in the covering. _'Did it run? Was that a cloud covering to keep it safe?'_ Whatever it was, Naruto had decided to take this chance to get out of here and run.

Just as Naruto had turned around, he was met with the sight if the lizard creature ongoing forward with an open mouth. Naruto panicked and raised his Kusanagi to intercept the beast but the monster's jaw broke through the blade and clamped down on his left shoulder and arm.

"AAAAAHHHHHHHH!"

Naruto let out a scream of bloody murder as the creature painful mashed its long fangs into his arm. He continued to scream as he could feel the creature's teeth pierce his muscles and veins. He felt the intense pain maximize as the creature's teeth reached the bone and broke into the marrow.

"Ah! Ah! Ah! Ah!" Naruto clawed at the creature's face in a futile attempt to fight back as it swung its head side-to-side, partially tearing the skin in the shoulder and giving a partial view of the bone socket. Naruto tried to do anything but he couldn't concentrate, the pain was just too intense for him to focus on making magic.

The creature increased its jaw strength as more pressure focused on the bone, already having pierced the Auxillary artery. Blood spayed out as it covered Naruto's lower left cheek and the creature's flaring teeth. Naruot continued to scream and cry in pain as his body flailed around and tried to do whatever it could. His hand continued to shake on the ground until he finally grabbed something.

Naruto felt the partial blade of Excalibur that he had thrown earlier sit in his hand. He held the broken sword in his hand as he started to pound against the monster's teeth, trying to weaken its hold on him. He pierced the gums and drew more blood as the creature let out a muffled scream of pain. In retaliation, it bit down again, completely breaking the arm as its teeth pierced and separated the bones and joints into a grotesque mess in its mouth. His arm was now bloody and bent in several different directions along the entire limb.

Naruto felt an even worse pain shoot through him as he felt weak and powerless from the blood loss. He continued to hold onto the broken Excalibur in hopelessness. He looked on in semi-consciousness as the creature dug deeper into his arm. Until Naruto finally saw a way to fight back. He lifted the severed blade...

And brought it into the eye socket of the lizard.

**########Hunter########**

Levy continued to braid the hair of her scarlet friend as they both sat in the armored girl's room in their pajamas. She hummed a silent tune as Erza just smiled at the strangely good feeling of doing such a girly thing. As Levy finished looping the last braid through, she smiled in delight.

"Finished." The scarlet girl opened her different eyes as she picked up the small braid from her still growing hair. She looked at it in a mirror Levy provided her and smiled at how she looked. "So, what do you think?"

"I love it Levy. I think you did a great job." The new Mage laughed at the praise she received from the older girl. Erza continued to admire the way it looked in the mirror. "I think I should keep it like this. Maybe I should grow my hair out, what do you think?"

"I think it would look good on you Erza." The two girls laughed as they continued to talk to each other. "Hey Erza, why did you join the guild?"

Erza opened her eyes and looked thoughtful into the sky, looking up at the full moon. "I... I heard a lot about it from an old friend of mine. He used to tell me so many stories about the wonderful times he had here and I wanted to see if I could have something like that." She looked over to the bluenette who was looking up at her with wide eyes "and so far, I think I can see why it is so wonderful."

Levy nodded in agreement as she smiled back at Erza. She fiddled with some of the things she had brought from her room over to the other girl's. Erza stayed there in momentary silence until she decided to ask. "Why did you join Levy?"

Levy flinched as she remembered the events that had happened at her old village. "My daddy died when I was really young, before I can even remember. And I was always taken care of by my mommy. But she was always really sick, needing to stay in the house all of the time." She clenched the fabric of her pajama pants as she found it hard to say the rest.

"A-and one day, sh-she passed away and I couldn't do anything to help her. I-I was supposed to stay at the village in the orphanage until another family member could take me in. B-b-but..." Erza shifted on the bed and looked behind her, seeing that Levy was holding her sobs and trying not to cry. She turned around and embraced the girl in a hug, Levy taking the chance to let out some sobs into her chest.

"The-these horrible men, wi-with fists of fire just attacked our town, killing so many people. They sa-said that the town was harboring lawless fugitives, an-and that they had to take care of them itself. Only a few people and they almost destroyed the town. M-most of us got out but we had nowhere to g-go. And I heard about this guild and I wanted to be safe and stay away from them." She let out a few more sobs as Erza's eyes softened in understanding.

"I-I-I wanted to have another family."

Erza patted her back to calm the shorter girl down, hoping to help her through this. She had heard in the papers and whispers from older guild members about that horrible guild. It spoke of saving the country and its people, but it was only a terrorist group that thought it was doing the right thing. It was obvious that anyone who attacked a single group of the independent guild would incur the wrath of the entire battle force. And they would hunt down the guild that started the fight and take it out. It was suicide to try and fight those men.

Erza thought back to how her friends would have reacted to something like this. People who killed others just to get their point across and raise their own image were no different then the jailers. She clutched onto the crying girl and thought back to what her old blue haired and whiskered friends would have done against men like that.

"It's okay Levy. We are here for you at any time." Levy looked up from her spot and into the kind brown and blue eyes of the normally armored girl. "We are your family. And we will protect you always. So never forget that okay."

Levy made a weak smile as she nodded and continued to hug her new friend. Erza wondered if they would be safe if those monsters ever came to their door knocking. Fairy Tail was very well known for causing trouble and spreading bad news. She just quietly listened to the sobs of her friend as she opened her eyes with new found determination.

If she ever saw them, she would make them pay.

**########Hunter########**

**"Wwwrrraaaaaaaa!"**

The lizard let out an excruciating muffled roar of pain as it kept biting the disfigured limb. Even as blood poured out of the pierced eyeball and down the side of its face. Naruto kept twisting and pushing the blade further into the bloody eye. He kept his teeth mashed as blood started to excrete from his mouth from the pressure and pain.

"How about that you bastard? You like that? Have some more!" He harshly pulled the blade out and thrusted back into it, blood spraying out over his right hand. The reptilian just kept letting out more muffled screams as it held onto the arm, the boy making no attempts to stop stabbing. The creature then started to pull on the limb as the boy planted the hilt back into its ruptured cornea.

"Gawk!" Naruto felt the lizard like monster pull on his dismembered limb, ripping the muscle fibers and stressing the socket joint loudly enough for him to hear. Naruto knew what was going to happen so he pulled the blade up, meeting the skull bone of the eye socket. They both knew that they weren't going to be able to use the damaged area ever again.

So they had a contest to see who could make the other one's more painful.

The creature pulled with its disrupted might as it still felt intense pain from the eye gouging. Naruto just tried to pull the blade out as the bone and fibers were being pulled out of the shoulder. They both put the last of their strength into it as they made the final blow.

**"Rraa!"**

"Aahh!"

The creature completely pulled out the left arm, leaving only some stray fibers to float from the exposed socket.

Naruto pulled the blade with all of his might, cutting into the skull and making a deep gash along the left side of its face.

The creature spit out the broken and dismembered limb as it stared to flail around, taking in the intense pain of having its skull pierced and pulled. It continued to roar until it started to flap its wings and take off. The creature left unsteady as it flew back into the depths of the mountain range.

Naruto was silent, and near breathless, his eyes wide open as the strange felling took over him. He felt no pain or anxiety, only a slight sting and a sense of cold washing over him. He moved his blood covered face to the side and looked over to the left. Past his blood geyser spraying socket was his dismembered limb, lying on the floor like something the cat had dragged in.

Even though he was numb, he could have sworn he could still feel the former body part move.

The white snow started to be bleached in crimson blood as he looked up into the sky, flakes falling down the trees once again. He felt the cold take over as he let out some sporadic breathes, visualized by the cold air. He lay on the floor as he didn't know what to do.

He couldn't feel his legs so he couldn't stand up.

He couldn't move his arm and crawl his way back to the blue guild.

Hell, he couldn't even say anything because his voice wouldn't come out.

The blood started to bleach the wrappings on his back, the original Kusanagi's rags started to turn red. Naruto only hoped that none of his blood got onto the book or it would have been ruined. As he lay there, he remembered that the book was on his right side and the cloak was keeping it from getting touched by the snow.

Heh, he was lying here bleeding out and he couldn't even think of his own predicament.

Maybe this is what Kazuya-San was feeling as his time came?

No! Not like this! Naruto wasn't about to come all this way just so he could die in the middle of a snow covered road in the deep forest. He still had to find Jellal and get him back. Milli-chan and everyone were probably still out there. He had just gotten his freedom; he wasn't about to lose everything again.

He still had to see Erza.

He still wanted to see Erza.

As the blood started to pool together, Naruto thought through some possible options. Maybe he could wrap his wound and run back. Or maybe the snow and ice could cover it. God, he wished he could heal himself!

Naruto's eyes widened as he realized his best choice. He remembered all the pain and blood he lost as a child weapon, and how those were healed.

Kurama's power.

He closed his eyes and calmed himself down, remembering how he used to do it as a child. He opened his eyes once again to see he was no longer in a snowy field but a watery sewer. Here, he could stand and walk, no longer feeling the pain. He looked to his side to see that his arm was still gone, even in this mental mindscape. But that didn't matter right now; he had more pressing matters right now.

He walked up to the old, rusty bars of the jail cell and peeked inside. Just like he remembered from years ago, the featureless, expressionless hunk of non-moving chakra body was still sitting there. He was still reminded of what his old friend had looked like by this empty husk.

Naruto knew he couldn't access the full power of Kurama's chakra because the former Biju's mind and soul weren't in control. The body was just a husk of energy, memories and emotions. He couldn't even touch the power unless his mental state was pushed into such a state of angry frenzy that he just let himself go.

And he knew that the chakra would not be able to heal him like it once did. But even if it could make some skin and cover the worst of it, there could still be a chance. Naruto walked forward and lifted his hand, trying to touch the unmoving orange body. His hand made contact with the leg of the former indestructible creature and the chakra started to slowly form a round his arm.

He opened his eyes back in the real world and saw that the wound had started to scar over and partially heal. Naruto also felt some strength return to his limbs and body. He thought that it had finally worked.

Until...

Naruto felt an immense spike and burning sensation take place over his left gash. He mashed his teeth again as he let out another pain staking yelp of agony. He looked to his side to see a vile red energy take over the former left shoulder. It started to bubble together and form outward, making a formation.

Inside of his mind, the chakra started to turn black and gather together on his left side. Naruto tried to claw at the amorphous black energy that made a small string towards the unmoving body. It started to form its own version of an arm as the unstable energy made a claw of some sorts.

Naruto felt a horrible burn as the red energy started to form a white mass where his shoulder left off. As some time passed and he tried to fight back, more and more of an arm started to shape itself underneath the red covering. Fibers and veins were created from the powerful energy and wrapped around the bone. Finally muscles started to take shape and finish of the product.

But then it changed. The skin was darker and jaded. It twisted around and the exposed bone started to stretch and point at the end, making his fingers closer into claws. A strange dark fur had sprout out of where the first of the skin laid.

Naruto noticed none of this as the pain and sensations were taking their toll on him. His vision started to tunnel and fade as a strange feeling had started to take him over. Why did he do this alone? Why did nothing ever go right for him? How come he always saved people but they never helped him?

What did he do to deserve this?

Why was his life like this?

He should teach these people a lesson! He should show these people he is not someone to be fucked with! He should kill them!

He should kill all of them! It was what he did best!

Naruto's faded eyes widened at why his thoughts had suddenly swerved to murder and torture. He then realized that all of those pent up emotions from the chakra were affecting him worse then he could even believe.

He tried to keep some semblance of himself as his whiskers had started to grow a bit rough. And his hair was getting spikier as he lay on the ground. And he didn't realize it, but his blue eye was close to changing into crimson.

As Naruto had this panic attack and a strange change happened to his left arm, he didn't realize that another pair of feet was making a crunching noise in the snow as it came closer to him. He tried to lift his head but all he could see were some boots speeding towards him.

"Oh no, this is worse then I thought. I had heard noises from the cabin and thought someone was killed, but this. And not you. Why did this have to happen to you?" The feet had sagged a little as the figure bent down and patted the irritated boy's head, earning more growls from the feral changing boy.

"Don't worry, I'll fix you right up."

Naruto tried to look up but still found no result. But he did notice something that his pain and anger soaked mind didn't notice before. He had heard this voice before. It was soft. It was calming.

"And I am so happy to see you again Naruto-kun."

And it all went black.

**########Hunter########**

_Date: X768, April 9 Age:27_

_We have just moved from our old town into this new one. It is quite a nice place. It's called Rosemary. It is quite beautiful and very peaceful._

_We have some wonderful neighbors with a little girl of their own. She is about the same age as Erza and I just know they are going to be wonderful friends. Her name is Kagura and she is almost as cute as Erza._

_Almost. But not quite._

_I hear that she has an older brother but he wasn't there today because the father took him out to get checked at the doctor's._

_It's Erza's Birthday tomorrow. My baby girl is going to be turning 3 years old. I can't wait._

_Erika and I have planned to take her out of town and go across the sea to show her the land. Erza is always happy when she was out and playing in the grass or dirt._

_We have to get preparing for her little party. We might even let her take another bit of cake._

_Just one though. For a little girl she really loves strawberry cake._

The metal fingers slowly closed the book and held it firmly in his grasp. His other wrinkled hand came up and rubbed the bridged of his nose. It was just too much to read about what her wonderful life was like before she ended up there. And it hurt even more when he kept re-reading the end. And he knew that if the unconscious whiskered boy behind him had found this personal book and those swords, then...

*huff* It was just too much.

He heard a uncomfortable grumble come from behind him. His blond charge had been unconscious for nearly a day, recovering from the horrible wound and the resulting regeneration.

Naruto let out a painful grumble as he tried to move, his body feeling sore from the physical exchange from earlier. He slowly opened his eyes to look into the ceiling of an unfamiliar building. It looked like a building with a roof made of wooden planks. He was on a bed close to a wall in a small cabin.

Naruto tried to prop himself up but felt the ghost pain from his left arm still strike him for an instant. He noticed that the smaller of his wounds had been patched up and healed. But he couldn't see what had happened to his left side. As he was about to look, a voice made itself known to him.

"You know, I could only guess that you were making a reckless move to come out here by yourself. Bobby probably tried to stop you but you probably ran off in a hurry." Naruto looked to his right with blurry eyes as the figure with his back to the boy continued to stir a pot of food. Naruto could see his swords and journal lying by the man's side and thought he had taken them from him. He tried to get back up and leaned on his side but find it was futile.

"But I have to say it is endearing to see you come so far." Naruto looked up at the back of the elderly man as he finished stirring. A metal gauntlet hand landed on the book and patted it. "That little boy who was so anxious to get out has brought himself all the way here. And with a mission of his own no doubt." The man turned around and looked at the boy.

Naruto's eyes widened in shock at the sight in front of him. His top hair was shaven off but he still had the long beard that Naruto would pull to get his attention. The right side of his face and neck still had burn scars over it but they had healed somewhat. He was wearing a thick jacket as he sat in front of the pot on the fire. And his eyes still had that look of pride along with that smile that helped him through when he was in pain.

Naruto felt tears well up in his eyes. "R-*sniff*Rob-jichan?"

"It's so good to see you again Naruto-kun." The man said as some tears formed in the side of his eyes as well.

Naruto tried to lift himself up but flinched as some pain passed through him once more. Rob saw this and took up a chair, bringing it to the side of the bed. "Ah, don't stress yourself Naruto-kun. Your body still needs to grow accustomed to the prosthetic metal."

"Pro-prosthetic what?" Naruto asked his grandpa as he heard a strange clanking to his left. He leaned over and saw something attached to his left shoulder. He lifted the arm and saw what had happened.

What had replaced his left limb was now a strange metal gauntlet. It was a silver arm that had layered points skipping on it. At the tip of his hand were the fingers that were moving with his thought. He flexed his fingers and noticed that the arm followed with his command. He followed the casing and saw that it was attached at where a nasty fresh gash was evident around his socket joint. He stared at the arm in wonder and horror.

"Wh-what is this?"

"That is a Metal Reformation Prosthetic Casing. It was used a lot during the war for injuries and amputations. It's actually quite handy." He lifted his right arm to show the boy his own. Naruto looked up and saw that where the burned and severed arm left off was followed by an exact replica of his left arm. The man lifted it up and started making fists and shapes.

"What does it do?"

"Heh, well it was meant for use during combat when soldiers were either wounded or poisoned. The casing was supposed to act as an extremely powerful sealing tool to cut off any poison or ailments from coursing through the rest of the body. And it was used to help amputees integrate easier into society with a functional prosthetic limb." He moved in closer and helped Naruto lean against a pillow on the head board.

"It feeds off the magical impulses the body sends through the body and function as a normal limb. So even if the body part was no longer useable or" he lifted his right hand once again, "blown to smithereens, you can use it again. I collected a bunch of this metal after the Cabria War ended. I thought it may come in handy if I ever got myself hurt too bad so I kept some in all of my houses. Looks like I was lucky."

Naruto lifted his aching arm again and gazed at its strange feeling. "What happened to mine?"

Rob stopped his little laugh as he stood back up and picked up a bowl. He poured out some hot soup and brought it back to the bed. He pulled out the spoon and blew on it to cool it down. He lifted it to the boy's mouth, signaling him to take a sip. Naruto leaned forward and took the tip of the spoon in his mouth; the broth poured into his mouth and slightly burned his tongue.

He swallowed the soup and realized it was one of the best things he had ever eaten. Rob continued to feed him as he watched the boy greedily eat the food. "When I heard roaring from the forest, I thought that a Wyvern had flown from the mountain and attacked someone. As I ran, I noticed a young Wyvern fly from the forests like it was hurt. And when I came close to where the fight was happening, I found you missing an arm."

Naruto looked up at the man from where he was being fed and remembered what had happened. The horrible burning sensation and the thing that sprouted out of his side. "A strange red bubble started to form around the open wound and I didn't know what was happening. But soon you started screaming and holding onto it as a new arm started to grow from where the old one was. Then it started to change."

"What do you mean change?"

"Like what was being made wasn't human. It was a claw, like a fox's arm but mixed with a human's. It actually looked like it had fur and was tearing up the ground underneath you. And you didn't look like you were faring much better yourself. You looked like if I left you there you were going to change into a monster. So I ran over and knocked you out."

Naruto finished sipping the contents of the bowl as Rob laid it off to the side. "I thought you were going to be taken over by that arm so I thought fast. I covered your arm in the casing, hoping for the best. I knew it wasn't magic taking you over and I didn't even know if it would have worked. Lucky for me the reformatting cut off all energy the energy, not just the magic."

Naruto nodded at his explanation even though it basically went in one ear and out the other. He closed his eyes and quickly jumped into his mindscape, to see what had happened. When he did, the boy noticed that a strange shield was covering everything in front of his left shoulder and cutting off all sight on the other side. Like a massive wall built around a boy's arm. Naruto looked down at the metal. "So, when can I take it off?"

Rob coughed uncomfortably at his question. "Well, you can't. The metal basically forms to almost a second layer of skin and takes the place of the affected limb. It is extremely difficult to remove and take off. Even so, in your case it would be a bad idea. That energy was cut off but it is still stored inside the case of your arm. If you find a way to take it off, it will build up and take you over again. And I won't be there to stop you this time."

"So you mean..."

"Don't ever take that off." Naruto nervously nodded at the simplified explanation. He felt an awkward silence take over the cabin as they both stayed silent, the flickering of the fire being the only sound they heard. Until Naruto shuffled underneath the sheets.

"I..." Rob looked down at his young friend "I'm really glad that you are okay." Rob saw that Naruto's eyes were kind of watery as Rob smiled and wrapped his arms around the young boy. Naruto felt the nostalgic feeling of being kept safe in the man's arms. They both laughed for a little bit.

"What happened after we separated?" Naruto flinched at all of the events that had played out after he had left the burned man on the boat. Naruto started to explain everything that had happened to him afterwards. The meeting and betrayal of Jellal. Losing Erza and falling into the tower catacombs. Waking up and living on the island. And how he had found the graveyard. Rob nodded and listened to everything that he had said. After he was done, they stayed in momentary silence.

"And what about you? Rob lifted his squinty eyes and looked at Naruto as he stared back at him. "I thought that you died when your ship exploded. How are you still alive?"

Rob chuckled as he looked at his young charge. "I got some help."

**########Hunter########**

_Naruto ran off the deck of the ship as multiple other salves were setting the ship up for travel. The older male slave in charge grumbled as he looked to the damaged, singed man. "Oh fuck this! I ain't taken care of some burning corpse!" He walked over and roughly grabbed the burnt arm of the former Fairy Tail Mage, earning a pained gasp of intense pain from the poor man. He dragged the body to the edge and prepared to throw him overboard._

_But just as he was about to, a pair of small hands grabbed the man's arm and held his throw in place. The older man looked down and met the heated gaze of a slanted eyed red haired boy with what looked like a small snake on his shoulder. "What are you doing?" The boy questioned n his little voice as he grabbed underneath the burnt man's arm and lifted him up. "You heard that punk, you can't just throw him overboard like that."_

_"That guy is basically dead already. And he would just stink up the ship if we left him on here." Several other large men followed behind him as they all had fearsome looks on their faces. "We are throwing him off." The man reached down but was intercepted by a small wall._

_In front of the boy and the burnt man were several other children, blocking their path. A fat boy with orange hair. A little boy with sharp yellow eyebrows and a shaven head. A black haired boy with bags under his eyes. And finally a little girl with white hair and a feather resting on her ear._

_Erik glared at the in anger as he gripped the elder's arm. "We are not letting you kill this man. You would be no better then those fucking jailers if you did something like this. So Fuck Off!"_

_The man's anger reached its peak as he started to reach for the boy but the child wall had intercepted him. The children all held the bulking slaves back as Erik carried the man over the deck. They reached a small life boat and Erik gently laid the man down on the benches._

_"Here Ossan, you should be safe here. I can't guarantee that you'll find land but it is better then being thrown off the side of a boat." He prepared the ship to leave as the older men had captured the other children and had started to put them on a life boat on the other side to throw them off. Rob barely lifted himself up and looked at the crimson haired boy._

_"Why are you helping me?" The boy stopped his preparation as he looked to the old man. He smirked at him as the snake shook its tail._

_"Cause I can't let that freaky cat bastard be the only one to be the hero." He waved the man off as he started to lower the boat. Rob felt the last few feet fall faster as the boy was taken and thrown onto the row boat with the others._

_Rob felt the waves take his ship as he laid there, feeling the flow take it. He then heard another explosion and saw that the ship had blown up._

_He realized that he being crippled had just saved his life. But he could only regret at the feeling of forsaking his friends and those young children. As he silently floated on the water._

**########Hunter########**

"I floated for a few days until I was found near a beach in an old town. The closest guild there was Lamia Scale, so I got some help from a young lad named Jura and I was on my way. Blue Pegasus was just a week's travel so I headed there. I got some help from my old friend Bobby and I walked up here. And have decided to stay here for the time being."

Naruto nodded as his eyes lowered in sadness. He was so worried about Rob and had thought he was dead. What did he know? Old people like him just never gave up. He continued this train of thought until Rob interjected.

"What are you going to do now, Naruto-kun?" Naruto looked up and then back down at his hands, lying in his lap.

"Well, I guess I'll leave and go back to Fairy Tail. That is where I wanted to go in the first place. And when I'm there, I'll go looking for Jellal and everyone again. It should be pretty easy. This was just a setback."

"Hmm." Rob grunted in agreement as he picked up the bowl and walked back over to the stew. "And what if it wasn't?"

"What?"

"I said what if it wasn't?" Rob tuned around and looked at the boy. "What if you lost because you were weak?"

"I-I'm not weak. I've fought hundreds of ninjas. And I beat all of those jailers back at the tower."

"Yes, but you beat those ninja with the help of the power from Kurama. And those jailers would have lost against a strong gust of wind. Those aren't achievements to be proud about."

Naruto grew angry at what his friend was implying. "What do you mean?"

The man stood up and towered over Naruto with his height. "I'm saying you aren't going to be lucky like you were today. That was only a child Wyvern. An adult one can fight up to several experienced mages by itself. And there are some mages out there that would kill a child like you for just the boots on your feet. Maybe even less then that." Naruto continued to glare at him until his eyes weakened and he nervously gripped the sheets of his bed.

Rob softened his eyes as he knelt down and put his hand on the boy's shoulder. "I don't want to see you get hurt anymore. You have so much to give to this world Naruto-kun. And I know that people would be crushed at the thought of losing you." Naruto looked over at him. "I know I would"."

"So what do I do?"

Rob smirked as he stood back up and pounded his flesh hand against his chest. "You are lucky to be in the same house as one of the most experienced mage's in Fairy Tail history. I can fight of multiple mages and monsters by myself. And~..." He looked down at Naruto who was watching only him. "I may just feel like teaching you that strength."

"Really Rob-jichan?!"

"Yep. And you are lucky. That new arm of yours can probably be used as a strength."

"Huh? What do you mean?"

"I mean that when I cut off the flow in your arm, I left off a large amount of power still in there. So if you use it right" he winked at the kid and gave hima thumbs up "that power can become your trump card!"

"Trump card?" Naruto looked into his hands as he still couldn't understand what he meant. "What do you mean by that?" As he did that, he let his arms powerlessly swing out.

And as his left arm made contact with the cabin wall, a chunk of the wall exploded out and vaporized the snow and wood. A loud crash and dust cloud rose up from where the impact had destroyed a part of the cabin wall.

As the dust cloud floated out, it left an image of both Naruto and Rob looking at the hole. Their eyes blackened out by their hair as they both kept stone faces on. Naruto started to shake as he sweated profusely.

"Eh-ehe-ehehehe. He-hey, Rob-ji-jichan, l-look." Naruto turned around and looked at his older parent. Sweat pouring down his face as he tried to completely ignore the damage he had caused. "I blew up a wall with a punch. A-ain't that cool?"

"Yes, it really is Naruto-kun." Rob's face betrayed no emotion as he looked at the boy with a smile. "And it will be even cooler after the training we will start after you fix this wall."

_'Da-Damn It!'_

**########Hunter########**

**_Done_**

**_I am so sorry that this took so long. I took a week off, which turned into two weeks, and then I realized that I was slacking off. And I couldn't think of what to write for this so I just couldn't think._**

**_Well anyway, back to what I was saying at the beginning of the AN. FFFFFUUUUUCCCCKKKK! Damn, I did not see that coming. I'm serious, that actually did take me by surprise. When Kagura said that she was Simon's little sister and I had planned ahead, I felt like Kagura had metaphysically formed out of the screen and kicked me straight in the balls._**

**_And as I cried on the floor, holding my cracked manhood and let a week pass by (don't forget this was a Kagura kick so the things were basically shattered at contact) I read the Rosemary chapter and felt like Erza had formed this time. But instead of kicking me, she made a gun out of nothing and remade that scene from Django Unchained when he raids that cabin at the end and that poor bastard gets out of the tub. Shit! I felt like she had whispered 'Kazuya and Erika? Pfftt' before she pulled the trigger._**

**_Anyway, I am really hoping that no more curve balls smack me in the face over these next few chapters of Fairy Tail. Except for that Rogue Shadow idea, that was pretty badass and that can go anyway it wants to._**

**_And as far as Naruto chapters go, can I just call bullshit! Not at the chakra cloaks for everybody, that seems to make sense. But at the conveniently placed Uzumaki Household on the outskirts of the village that apparently no one knew about except for the creepy ass child rapist that is Orochimaru._**

**_Did it never occur to anyone that the one Uzumaki in the entire village had a right to know about the house. And a mask to summon the Shiki Fuujin, seriously?_**

**_Ah, oh well._**

**_Now I have to think about how to do these next few chapters and making them good. I'm off._**

**_Also, I should probably be putting this in my Medaka AN, but is anyone else hoping for a new fighter. I mean I am glad that Medaka is still alive and beat Iihiko, but now that Shiranui has turned, I hope that someone else takes up the responsibility of taking care of this situation._**

**_I mean seriously._**

**_Zen: Well looks like Shiranui has changed. I best leave this to Medaka-chan. Medaka-chan can take care of this by herself._**

**_Kum: [Are you sure Zenkichi-chan? I mean the girl has all of her bones broken, no rhythm in her heart and massive blood loss. Plus she had a pierced stomach and spine and can barely stand as it is.]_**

**_Zen: Naw, it's okay Kumagawa. Just leave it to Medaka-chan. Just join us as we all circle jerk it over Tsurubami-Sensei's dead body over here._**

**_Kam: I don't have to be first but I will if that is what you want._**

**_Med: *Blargh* Di-dying over here. Anyone?_**

**_Han: Fresh~_**

**_Seriously?_**

**_ReadxReview_**

**_Thank You_**

**_Bye_**


	8. Strange Happenings on a Lovely Stroll

Titania and The Hunter

Chapter 8: Strange Happenings on a Lovely Stroll

Disclaimer: Oh how I wish I was rich.

Short chapter compared to others. Reason being I want to let out the next few fast leading to an event.

I should probably warn all of those who read this fic regularly. This is going to be a very long story. Like a lot of chapters and words. Also...

Ok... Ok... I'm guessing in another chap- no no definitely not! Another five may- no 2- wai-wait back story need twenty- I'll get it out in a few days- No way this isn't a weekly thing!

*Huff*

*Huff*

*Deep Breath* Three more chapters. I promise to make you guys happier in these next few chapters. Hell, the two before that one will be really good too.

Just trust me.

Post-made: Sayonara, Fairy Tail anime. You shall be remembered in our hearts. Fingers crossed that it pulls a Gintama. Well, not Gintama now, after the announcement.

P.S. over 100,000 words! Woah!

**########Hunter########**

_Her earliest memory was always about her beloved grandpa. His kind smile looking down on her as he rocked her back and forth. She had reached an age where those jailers made even infants start working by throwing the rubble away._

_And then after that, all of her experiences sort of blended together. The only moments that stood out in her mind were when she met her family for the first time. Naruto arriving at the cell and promising to join her in Fairy Tail. Jellal arguing with Naruto about who was the best. Wally and Simon thrown in here while they tried to fight back. And of course Milliana and Shō's arrival. And after that it would only be important days and events up until her escape._

_Those were the only memories that she could ever recall being her firsts. Going back as far as she could, she would be met with the face of her deceased grandfather. They always were. They should be._

_So what was this?_

_What was this tiny little bed she was laying in with a red blanket in her hand? Why was her body so small and her limbs so stubby? Why was there a ceiling and decorations, with windows and toys that she had never seen before? Where was she that light shined in so brightly that she could barely see in front of her own hand?_

_'What-what is this? Where am I?'_

_"I'm serious; we need to change her sheets. She gets restless at night and I don't think that her bed is that comfortable for her."_

_'Wh-who was that?' A pair of massive blacked out shadows stood over her as they looked to each other. One of them was taller than the other, slightly looking down at her as they talked. All she could see was the bottom of their chins and everything downwards from there. 'Who's there? Show yourself!'_

_"Oh shut up. You just say that because you think that if we make her bed more comfortable she won't cry at night. And then you won't have to come and calm her down."_

_"We-well I guess that could be a factor. But maybe it wouldn't be so bad if you helped out and changed her diaper instead of lying there and acting like you are asleep."_

_'What are they talking about?' She felt like she could sweat drop if she knew what was wrong with her right now._

_"Hey now _, you can't go saying that to me. Sit on a small table for thirty hours pushing a watermelon out of your hole and then we will divide the work. Plus I don't see her sucking on your nipples for lunch. "_

_"Oh don't say that _, that's just disgusting!"_

_"Hey it's the truth."_

_'O-okay, this is weird. I want to go now.' She felt uncomfortable as she tried to move and get out but found it futile. She wriggled around and tried to get to her feet but found the task strangely impossible._

_She finally felt a sense of feeling in her throat as she could finally say something. She aimed to the two figures and prepared to order them to tell her where she is._

_If she could order Gray and Natsu to stop their bickering, she knew she could do this._

_She took a breath in, preparing to yell 'where am I?" But instead..._

_"Wahhhhhh! Wahhhhhh!"_

_'Wa-wa-was that me? What happened?' She felt like she could die of embarrassment as the two figures stopped their talk and looked down at her prone form. 'What did they do to me?'_

_"Oh! I think we woke her up."_

_"You woke her up with all of your complaining about taking care of your daughter."_

_'D-daughter?'_

_"Bu-wh-I wa-no you se-"_

_"*Sniff* *Sniff* I get it. You don't want to be with us, right? You would abandon me and her just because you can't wake up in the morning." The man was sputtering as the woman in the pair continued to lay it down and kick his butt. She felt herself being raised to eye level with the man as his face was still blacked out._

_"Say no to this face _. Say it~."_

_That man continued to stare at the little infant with the large round eyes as his steel will was crushed and melted into nothing. He lowered his head in shame. "I'm sorry."_

_"Good. Now promise to change her diaper and help her go back to sleep every night."_

_"I promise."_

_"And you will also get me any kind of cake I ask for, whenever I ask for it."_

_"Hey, that's not part of the-" was forced to look at his daughter's baby face again "yes ma'am."_

_"Good." She raised the girl to her face and clearly gave a cheeky smile. "Who's mommy's little trump card? Who is? You are. You are."_

_The girl would have made a face of exasperation at this odd duo's behavior but found that she was still quietly sobbing. The woman lowered her and kept her in a cradle in her arms. She rocked back and forth as she hummed a quiet melody._

_'These people are so strange. I need to get out of here.' She resolved to run away as fast as she could. But then she realized something._

_This woman was warm._

_So warm._

_Being in her arms was like nothing she had experienced before. The only things that could ever compare were the hugs that she had received over the years. From Rob, Naruto, Jellal, Shō and Milliana and all of her new guild-mates over time._

_But this felt natural. Like this was the place she was always supposed to be in. She felt her restlessness settle and her breathing calm as her eyes became heavy. The woman looked down at her and had a small but content smile on her face._

_"I never thanked you, you know." She thought the woman was talking to her but it was actually voiced to the man at the other end of the room. He raised his head and looked to the woman whose attention was on the infant._

_"My whole life I thought I was going to be alone. My parents abandoned me because I was out of control. My village threw me out because I always caused so much damage to the homes and stores. And I could never find a place where people could be with me. I was always jumping from place to place."_

_The woman slightly tightened the hold on the dozing infant in her arm. "And then you came along. You matched my tenacity and told me that I didn't have to be alone. You got hurt and you suffered, just to show me that you could stand by my side. And then you ask to marry me and I only looked at you like you were some idiot."_

_The little baby felt tiny drops of salty water fall on her face as she looked up at the woman. "Bu-but I've never been so happy in my whole life. I have a home I can call my own. I have a husband and people who see me as just a person, not a monster. A-and" her voice broke a little and she sniffed and tried to hold her tears. "I have a daughter. A beautiful daughter. And she came from a monster like me. I could make something this beautiful with someone who loved me for me."_

_The woman let out a few more quieter joyful sobs before a pair of strong arms wrapped around her waist and held her close. "We could only make a daughter so pretty because her mother was the most beautiful woman in Fiore. A wonderful mother who is not a monster." He raised his hand and wiped a tear from her eye. He rested his chin on her shoulder as he looked down at his daughter in his lover's arms._

_"And I will always be here to protect you both. I promise." The women sniffled one last time before she made a watery smile and nodded her head, giggling a little at his attitude._

_"Do you hear that Erza-chan? Daddy says that he will be here for us always. Isn't that wonderful?"_

_"Yeah. Because you two are my everything. And when you grow up, I'll always be here to watch over you, okay Erza?"_

_"Erza?"_

_"~erza~"_

"Erza!"

Brown and blue eyes opened in shock as the naked girl jumped up in fright but then fell in the hot water. She opened her eyes in the hot aqua before reemerging into the surface and taking a deep breath. She continued these gasps for air as the steam raised from the hot spring baths.

"Erza are you okay? You fell asleep in the bath!" The usually armored girl looked up from the water at the brown haired and blue haired girls. Cana and Levy had invited the other girls of the guild to join them at the local bath house at the center of town. Of course when the guild heard this, every member had decided to join in on the idea and go to the local baths.

Of course the males stayed on their side. God knows what Erza would do if she saw them peek. Although from what they heard, Gray and Natsu had to bathe with her whenever she said so.

"Yes-yes Levy I'm fine. I was just day dreaming." The scarlet haired pre-teen rubbed her face with her hands as she tried to come back to her senses, her long scarlet hair flowing in the water behind her and reaching her back. _'What was that? Was I just dreaming? Who were those people?'_ She took a deep breath and looked to the girls who were still looking at her with worry. "Wh-what is it?"

Cana moved closer to the girl. "What were you dreaming about?"

"No-nothing! It was nothing!"

"Oh I know~." Cana and Erza looked back and saw Levi with a sly smile on her face and eyes that actually sent a shiver in Erza's back. "You were thinking about your boyfriend right?"

Erza froze with a slight pink blush on her face from the accusation. She knew that Levy had been with her when she went on that stock worker job in Hargeon last fall. That Parker man who owned the shop said that Erza reminded him of a boy he had taken care of earlier in the year. She asked what he meant and he said that there was a boy with brown and blue eyes just like hers that wanted to go to Fairy Tail.

When she continued to pester him about what the boy looked like, the grizzled old man said he was a stupid looking boy with blond hair and whiskers.

Levy could safely say that she still had a ringing in her ears from when Erza shrieked as loud as possible next to her.

And the resulting trip back was the Solid Script mage's chance to pester her friend about the mysterious boy. She tried to deter the girl's interest but found it annoyingly impossible. So when she became too flustered, she accidentally smacked Levy into the next train car. Safe to say, that didn't stop the bruised girl from gossiping throughout the entire guild and embarrassing the armor girl. And the punishment Natsu and Gray received for their playful tormenting.

Although Erza never said anything out loud, she was constantly worried about where her friend was and if he was okay. Parker-san said that he had last seen the boy in January. So where had he been for more than a year? Was he safe? Was he still alive?

Erza stopped all of her worrying as her sight had softened and she relaxed once again in the bath. When she had heard that Naruto could still be alive, she had never felt so happy in her whole life. Her heart had sped up and her mind wondered to what he was doing. She had never felt so relieved. All she wanted to do was see him and see if he was still his old self.

Erza smiled to herself as she slowly closed her eyes. If Naruto was in Fiore, then she didn't have to keep worrying about him like he was some kind of child. If she knew anything about her best friend, then it was that he could protect himself from anything. If she hadn't seen him, then he was probably off on an adventure, enjoying his life like he hadn't been able to before. And that was enough.

If he was happy, that was enough for her.

Levy and Cana leaned towards each other with their hands over their mouths, "See Cana. I told you she was thinking about her boyfriend."

"You're good Levy. Remind me never to try and hide a secret from you." At that mention, Erza came back to reality and started to sputter out loud, her face almost as red as her hair.

"Wa-wa-wait! Seriously, y-you've got it all wrong! We-we're not like that, he's just-"

The bath doors slid open as a silence grew over the girls already occupying the bath. They all looked to the opening as two silhouettes could be seen walking towards them. One was shorter, seeming anxious and excited with the new place, her hair reaching around her head and spreading bangs across the top of her head. The girl next to her was taller by a few inches, her hair let loose and reaching to her back, uncaring of the fact she was naked.

"Seriously Mira-Nee, you have to behave in front of everybody. We are new here. It is very rude to be fighting and causing so many ruckuses after just coming to the guild."

The taller shadow scoffed as she put her hands behind her head and yawned. "Oh come on. It's not that bad. If I am in a fight, it's because that bitch is the one who starts it."

"Mira-Nee, it's rude to call her that. You should apologize to-" the young white-haired girl stopped her scolding as she saw the other occupants of the bath. "Erza-San!"

Erza and the others looked to the new bathers. They both had blue eyes and beautiful white hair atop their heads. The younger sister looked at the three senior members with surprise and excitement as the older sister looked at one of them with contempt.

"Hello Lisanna. It is very good to see you and-" Erza stopped her pleasant greeting as she looked from the bubbly young girl and glared at the girl who was giving her a hateful stare.

"Mirajane."

"Erza."

The two reckless teen girls glared at each other as sparks flew between their eyes. The three other girls nervously chuckled as the two of them continued their staring contest. Mirajane threw her towel over her shoulder as she gracefully lowered herself into the water and sighed.

"My, I had no idea that the city let filthy prostitutes like you wash in the public baths like this. It can't be good for our health." The three spectators all flinched in worry as Erza silently grumbled to herself. Gripping the rock underneath her so hard it had started to crack.

"Ahaha, well you would know that best. With how often you walk through the streets wearing clothes that even the filthiest skanks wouldn't wear, I'm sure you understand how the women of the night work." Mirajane grew ticked off as she lowly chuckled to herself. The two girls then both started to laugh maniacally as the three younger girls all started to grow worried.

"S-so, what have you all been talking about?" Lisanna tried to calm the tense feeling by conversing with the two other innocent bystanders.

"Well, we were just talking about Erza and her boyfriend." Levy slightly swooned as Cana lightly giggled and Lisanna gasped in surprise. The two older girls both flinched and then tensed up, for different reasons of course.

"Wh-what? Erza-San has a boyfriend? Who is he? Where's he from? What's his name? Is he dreamy?" Lisanna pestered the two girls as they lightly laughed at her exuberant behavior on the subject.

"We don't even know," Cana told as she adjusted herself in the water, "She never tells us anything about her mystery boy. We think she is hiding him for herself." They all laughed as they kept to their tight circle. Erza continued to shake in anger and embarrassment before jumping out of the water.

"I told you it isn't like that! He's not my boyfriend!"

"I'll say." Erza stopped her explanation as she mechanically turned her head to see the smug face of Mirajane. "I could never imagine even the poorest idiot being able to stomach your presence, let alone hug or kiss you." She brought her hand out of the water and started to clean her arm. "It must have just been one of your little fevered dreams they misinterpreted."

A tick mark. "Did you say something you filthy skank?" The three other girls flinched in horror.

"I was just talking about how you were a horrible, flat-chested beast that not even the blind, deaf or stupid could love." Erza's veins started to pulsate as her eyes grew black. Mira then made a lovely pose as a ray of light appeared out of nowhere and shined down on her. "Unlike me, who is so beautiful and wonderful that when I grow up, men and women will look at me with envy and wish they were me."

Erza continued to shake in anger until she breathed deeply and turned around, smiling cheekily. "I doubt anyone would want to be like a horrible S&M fetish whore who rages around like a demon slut from hell." Mira abruptly jumped up and pressed her forehead against the equally ferocious Erza.

"Don't think you are so great because you got one little boy following you bitch. When my huge tits come out and you are left with a washboard, then we will see who is the best."

"You can have big breasts if you want. All that matters is that people will never be able to look you in your freaking face without going blind."

Lisanna, Levy and Cana all huddled together, trying to protect themselves. From the other side of the bath Cana tried to diffuse the bomb, "C-come on guys. There's no reason to fight over something as petty as this. Let's all just calm down and enjoy the baths, okay? There is no reason for the whole cake incident to ruin our- oops."

"THAT WAS MY CAKE YOU ATE YOU FILTHY STINKING WHORE!"

"I TOLD YOU I DIDN'T EAT YOUR SHITTY FOOD YOU DUMB BITCH!"

The teen girls started to grapple and pull each other's mouth and hair, throwing each other around the baths. The three Fairy Tail girls desperately tried to avoid and dodge the rapid, violent movements of the strong girls. Water was flying across the whole room as they tried to keep themselves at a safe distance.

Levy: "Oh No! They're at it again!"

Lisanna: "It's rougher than usual! We have to get out of- ah, it got in my eye!"

Cana: "Shit! Grab a towel; this is going to get messy!"

Mira: "TIME TO MAKE YOU SCREAM YOU SCARLET CUNT!"

Erza: "I'D LIKE TO SEE YOU TRY YOU BLEACHED SLUT!"

From the other side of the bath wall; Macao, Wakaba and Makarov were all lazily resting in the bath water, towels atop their heads. All of them rested against the bath wall, a pink hue on their faces.

Makarov sighed in content. "Ah, the wonders of youth. I wish we were still that young." The two older gentlemen both nodded as they laughed, the screams from the girls side still ringing through the entire bath.

On the other side of the bath, a tall blond boy with a lightning scar and a white haired lad listened to the noises around them.

"God Jiji really needs to control his guild better."

The white-haired boy sighed in exasperation, "Geez Nee-chan, why are you picking fights with her?"

"Come back her ice-brain! Give me back my towel!"

"This is what you get for taking my towel from me, Charcoal-head!"

"I told you ass-hole; your towel was gone before you even walked into the bath!"

"Then I guess we are in the same boat now, huh?"

Laxus and Elfman looked to each other as the adults perversely listened to the noises on the other side, Mira and Erza screamed as they grappled with each other, and Gray froze a section of the bath as Natsu made the other side boiling hot.

They both sighed tiredly.

**########Hunter########**

He stood in front of the cabin, his eyes closed as he let the brisk mountain air run through his lungs. He brought his fists to his sides and kept them there firmly, slowly spreading his legs into a horse stance. He continued these calming breathe as he slowly opened his eyes and stared off in front of him. He then felt awkward at the strange circumstances of his test as he looked over his shoulder, "Um, what's this for again?"

The senior man continued to tap the large boulders as he tested their density, almost missing what his young charge had said. "I told you Naruto-kun, this is your last test. We've been training for more than a year now. And it is time for you to test your mettle in this little test." The squinting elder made a fist with his prosthetic arm as beside him, his old teammate cheered jokingly for the young boy.

"Can't you just assume that I am set and see me off like a normal teacher?"

"Nope." Naruto looked blankly at the lackadaisical reply from his sensei/grandpa as the man set up the test area. He turned to the cloaked boy as he put his hands to his sides, "All right! Are you ready?" Naruto reluctantly nodded his head as he readied himself for anything.

"Okay, here are the rules. I'm going to be sending these boulders at you from any and every direction." For emphasis Bob started to showcase the rocks like he was a showgirl, every one of them placed on a catapult. "You are going to break every one of them before they hit you and touch the ground. Any method is allowed. Any questions?"

"Is this legal?"

"Nope." Rob cut the first line as a massive boulder was sent at the unprepared Jinchūriki Mage.

Naruto's eyes widened in surprise as he got himself into a long stance. He sent a small amount of concentrated magic into soles of his feet as he used Armor to jump up and intercept the flying boulder. He cocked back his right fist before throwing it into the exterior of the rock and crushing it to pieces.

As Naruto was in the air, two more boulders were sent his way as he noticed them fall towards him. He pulled back both of his fists and aimed towards their centers. Sending more Armor into his right fist, he crushed both stones into rubble as the gravel fell to the Earth.

Adjusting himself in the air, he landed on the snowy ground and he crouched to avoid any impact. As he took a breath, four shadows surrounded him as they came from all directions. He calmed himself as he stretched his hands and sent more magic towards his palms.

His eyes opened in confidence as Excalibur and Kusanagi appeared in his hands. He tensed his arms before swinging them in a large arc, slashing the stones through the middle and making eight new pieces.

He smiled in smugness before regaining his focus and noticing that more than a dozen shadows had started to cover him. He looked up in surprise as a small avalanche headed his way. "Oh Come On! This is too much!"

Rob and Bob laughed jokingly as they watched Naruto swing his blades in quick repetition, cutting and kicking away any rock that even came close to him. Rob leaned back as he enjoyed the rays of sunlight pouring down on him, easily switching between the many different strings he was pulling to fire the devices. "This is peaceful, don't you think Bobby?"

The transvestite raised a wine glass to his lips as he sat on a picnic blanket. "Aw yes, just the feeling of life and the sounds of nature."

"Damn It! Too Many Rocks!

The senior, former Fairy mages laughed as they settled into the calming silence once again. As Rob sent more attacks at the quick boy, he remembered what he had been through over the last year or so.

After the painstakingly long process of fixing the house (which in itself led to an argument about the workmanship of the house that caused more flailing of fists and cracked another side of the house, leading to more work), the two had finally started their training process.

Rob deliberately made it tough and unbearable when they had started to test his limit and work ethic. It was quite a surprise when he discovered that Naruto was willing to go beyond his expectations to train. Not complaining or whining about any of the tough workouts and training programs the old man had set up for him. Actually appearing excited and ready for anything.

Despite the scruff and bruises all over his body, Naruto was always eager to train as much as he could. Doing push-ups and sit-ups as early as he could in the day. Carrying weights and rocks on his back as he ran laps around the forest. Breaking rocks and jumping through the trees and the river. The kid was a boundless source of energy when it came to work.

Rob was proud to say that he was significantly surprised at the boy's tenacity.

As Naruto continued to break and cut the flying boulders, he had started to channel some of his Armor in to the blades in his hands. As he swung the blades faster, they started to cut through the rocks like hot butter. The boy smiled in confidence as he started to unleash a flurry of sword attacks.

The older mages chuckled at his exuberant behavior at the attacks coming at him. Rob remembered when Bob had come to visit a few days after Naruto had arrived at his house. The transvestite portrayed much worry when he came to see his old friend, asking where the boy had gone. When Naruto had emerged with his clothes all ruined and a prosthetic arm where his real one used to be, Bob was devastated. He had blamed himself for the fact Naruto was attacked and got hurt so badly.

But the little boy consoled the large man about his worry. He said that he didn't mind that he lost his arm anymore. Just glad that he had a sturdy replacement and that the confused man shouldn't blame himself for what the boy had done to him. Rob had to say that he was pleasantly surprised that he could throw off a major event like that and console a friend when they needed it. That would be a useful skill in the future knowing the lad's track record.

Bob was so surprised at the boy's heartfelt forgiveness that he actually opened his usually shut eyes. On an appropriate level, he smiled and nodded at seeing the boy take such a huge step in maturity. On his level, he started trying to glomp the young man, keeping him firmly in his grasp as the little boy started to flail around like a monkey.

Bob silently but contently sipped on some warm tea as he sat on the picnic blanket he had brought up with him to the cabin. He watched the boy's movements and attacks with a comprehensive and experienced eye. The boy was rough and inexperienced, but his raw power, stamina and attitude made him quite a contender. He could probably fight most of the mages in his guild to a standstill if he tried hard enough.

"My my, Naruto-chan is doing quite well despite the ridiculousness of the test." He earned an ecstatic grunt of pride from Rob as the man continued to watch his student fight, not taking his attention off of pulling the strings. "You don't think I could make him reconsider and join my guild, do you Rob-chan?"

"I'm afraid you wouldn't even faze him Bobby. It not because he doesn't recognize the strength your guild has," he momentarily looks away from the boy and flashed a cheeky, arrogant smirk of elder understanding at his old friend. "It's just that you don't hold the certain 'red hot quality' he is looking for."

"~Ohohoh~. I hope I can meet this 'red quality' he is so interested in."

"Hey! What are you two talking about?"

"Nothing!"

As Rob almost finished his test, he watched as Naruto Requip his swords away and chose to finish the exam with his own two fists. Or in his case, his fist and demonically enhanced metal gauntlet arm. When Naruto had started to make replacements for the two blades that were destroyed by the Wyvern last year, he had expended a lot of magic to make multiple copies. Rob had told him that it was an inefficient and complete waste of magical power to continue making swords if he ever lost a pair or if they were broken.

So to help him with the problem, he taught the young man to use Requip magic to change his weapon when he wanted. The boy found it quite useful and was already practicing with the concept a day after learning it. So much so that Rob had also taught him to keep certain objects in the extra dimensional space, like extra clothes and even the journal so that it was never lost. He also kept the original swords in his space, so that they would be at his side until he gave them back to their rightful owner.

Naruto finished a flip kick in the air as his foot contacted the last visible stone in his sight and shattered it to pieces. He turned in the air and landed in a crouch in the still frosty ground, surrounded by rubble and dust. He confidently stood back up and looked over to his teacher with a confident smirk.

"Well Jii-chan, are you satisfied?" Rob smirked in return and he grabbed one last rope with both hands.

"Nope."

He hefted the rope and a much larger boulder dislodged itself from it place in the tree, completely overshadowing the blond boy. Bob looked as Naruto just stared at the approaching hazard, a worried tone in his voice. "Um, Rob-chan, shouldn't we help him?" He received no answer in return as he looked up at his friend. "Rob-chan?"

Rob looked on in total content as the large rock neared Naruto every passing moment. But the boy in danger showed no fear or worry as he just smiled at the big rock. The boy spread his legs out to keep a strong foundation as he chambered his left fist back to his side.

Naruto instantly threw his punch into the center of the oncoming rock. His fist stopped its downward journey in its place as a crack appeared where he hit. Slowly, dozens of adjacent cracks spawned from the original and loud cracking noises could be heard throughout the entire place.

Finally, the boulder crumbled from the titanic strength of his fist and the chunks of rock fell all around the triumphant boy. The dust settled and Naruto lowered his fist to his side. He let out a deep breath and then showed a massive, shit eating grin.

"Yeah! I did it! What do you think about that huh!"

"You did great Naruto-chan! Will you marry me?"

"No!"

Rob chuckled as Naruto started to flee from the advances of the heavy set man in drag. He knew that this boy could go far on his own abilities, but it never hurt to have a little ace in the sleeve. Literally.

"Naruto-kun!"

"Huh?" The boy looked up from the tangled mess he was in where his feet were used to keep the Blue Pegasus master at temporary bay.

"One last thing we will test." He lifted one last boulder onto the catapult closest to him and prepared to launch. "'That'."

"Seriously?! But it barely works! You even said that it was too impractical to use in a real fight! How am I supposed to pass this if I try to-"

"You don't have to break it. I just want to see if it can do anything. You ready?" Naruto grumbled a little before pushing off his knees and standing in ready, nodding his head reluctantly.

Rob pulled the rope. The rock flew off the catapult and sailed through the air straight at Naruto. He breathed out and gathered a fair amount of his Armor magic into his closed right fist. He had gathered so much that a small, shivering ball of the usual clear light had formed around his fist. He pulled his fist back and then shifted his stance, sending his fist out and lifting his back leg to complete the turn.

"Flying Gauntlet!"

The ball rocketed out of the boy's fist and soared straight at the falling stone. After half a second of flying, the ball had started to slow down and become unstable. It impacted the stone enough for there to appear a crack in its surface but not enough to stop the rock from coming straight at the former slave boy. Naruto's eyes widened in worry before he quickly ducked out of the rock's trajectory. He rolled on the ground before looking up at where the rock had landed and he let out a defeated sigh.

A hand landed on his head and ruffled his hair. He looked up to see an approving smile from Rob. The older man wordlessly reassured the boy about his strength, even if the attack wasn't successful. Naruto had a smile slowly cross his face as he nodded in understanding and got back up on his feet. He dusted some of the dust and stray snow off his black clothes and new cloak.

"So I guess you should use that when it is a little more efficient huh?"

Naruto chuckled and smiled at the wizened old man's joke. The man then turned serious as he gained the young boy's attention. "So, you will travel down the path and reach a series of towns that will guide you to Magnolia in about a week."

"Yes sir!"

"You should only be worried about getting there but if you meet any trouble you will push through and show them who they are messing with!"

"Yes sir!"

"Remember what I'd told you. With the use of Requip, you can use your magic more sparingly and concentrate on fighting with Armor if it becomes too much. But if it becomes too desperate, make sure you use your chakra and keep your magic for more important use!

"Got it!"

"And remember, not all fights can be solved with just your fists. Try to think more in battle and understand your enemies' weak points. If you can, you should be able to beat anyone you meet!"

"Um, yeah? I'm still a little fuzzy on the whole strategic fighting idea."

"Hehe." Rob put Naruto in a chokehold and laughed wholeheartedly as Bob giggled several feet away from them, Naruto trying to release himself from the hold. "Well you always were fonder of beating your ways through a problem then thinking it through."

"You know it! I'm gonna be the strongest!"

Rob chuckled as he nostalgically remembered when the boy first proclaimed that fact in the cell years ago with Erza. "I know you will Naruto-kun. You've grown so much from that little kid who always wanted to go out and show the world what he could do." He patted the boy's head as he looked up at him. "And I know you'll show everyone at Fairy Tail just how great you are, right?"

Naruto blushed slightly as he chuckled and anxiously nodded his head. "Right!"

"Well then, don't let me stop you. Get going!" He pushed Naruto forward, towards a path down the mountain and to a separate sections of the woods.

"Got it! I'm off Rob-jichan!" The boy started running forward before suddenly halting and running off to the side, picking up a bag of supplies for the week long journey ahead.

"Naruto-chan~, are you sure you don't want me to see you off?"

"No I'm fine! I've got to start taking care of myself! So I'll get there by myself. Thanks Bob-San, Rob-jichan. See ya!"

"Bye! And make sure you tell Erza-chan hi from me too!"

"I will!" He ran down the path as his figure disappeared from the older men's (?) vision. They both stayed in place even after he had vanished as they fondly remembered back to the time they were still that young and enthusiastic. A small breeze passed over them as Bob dusted himself off and stood back on his feet.

"Well I should be off. Even if this is an enjoyable time, I have a guild I need to watch over. I must make sure Jenny-chan doesn't turn all yandere on Hibiki-chan and chase Karen-chan across town with a knife. Again."

"Quite." Rob walked over and embraced Bob in a hug that the master returned with a kind smile. "Make sure that you bring over some more tea and snacks next time. I really do enjoy them."

"Can do." Bob started to head down the path opposite where their young charge had just darted down before stopping in his tracks and looking over his shoulder. "Are you sure he will be alright? I mean-I don't doubt his strength but if he meets 'them' it may be an issue. He is the descendants of-"

"Naruto-kun has grown a lot in this last year. I know that he will face many hardships and trials in his lifetime. Some that would destroy most men who tried. But I know that he would push through with all his might." He looked over and grinned at his old friend. "I just know it."

Bob looked at Rob for some silent moments before smiling in recognition and nodded in understanding. He continued to walk back to his home as Rob walked to his cabin home. He started to clear up some of the rubble and push some snow off of his plants. He fixed them up as he enjoyed the peaceful aroma and air.

After a few moments, sudden gusts of wind started to pound down and push the bushes and trees. Rob looked over his head and the descending shadow over him and just watched as the giant flying lizard landed in front of him. He looked at the scarred face of the Wyvern in front of him as it lowly growled at him.

"Yes he is gone to his new home now. I couldn't tell him that I've been taking care of you as well, he would have been infuriated. But it is your own fault for picking a fight with him. What is wrong with you?"

**"Grrrrrrrr."**

"Don't growl at me Majha. Or do you want me to stop feeding you with the vegetables I've grown?"

The smaller man put his metal hand on his hip before the hulking creature growled in subdued anger before lying down and keeping quiet.

"Good boy."

**########Hunter########**

"Okay, let's see. This says that I should arrive at Acacia just over this hill." Naruto looked at the little leaflet of paper in his hand that showed the names of the towns on the way to Magnolia. Acacia was a very small town that was a stopping area for travelers and shipping. If he waited another day then a cart would pull in and he could catch a ride into the next town over.

He lowered the paper and hefted the bag of rations and clothes on his back over his shoulder. He put out the fire and finished the rest of the rabbit meat he had caught on his way here. After only a day of traveling, he could only see the mountains where Rob-jichan's house was in the distance. He chuckled to himself about his improved power and strength he had gained after the year of training. Jii-chan told him he was about as powerful as a high C to middle B-class Mage when he tried hard enough. So he wouldn't have to worry about most thieves or bandits on his way to his new guild.

As Naruto continued to walk to his destination, he finally let the idea hit him fully. He was actually going to Fairy Tail. The place he had dreamed about with Erza for so many years. A magical place of light that he was told of in the darkness of that cell. It seemed like a dream. A place filled with hopes and dreams. Filled to the brim with powerful and competent mages that could put him in his place if he ever tried to fight them. The place so many people had heard and dreamed about. The place Erza was.

Erza.

He had thought about the scarlet haired girl a lot over the last year. He wondered if she had gotten to the guild and if she was safe. He hoped that she was happy and had enjoyed her time away from that hell. Naruto didn't know what would happen if she was actually at the guild and what she would do if she saw him.

Would she be happy?

Would she be angry?

Upset? Worried? Overjoyed?

He didn't know what to think. She could embrace him and tell him that she missed him all this time. Or she could be reminded of all the pain and torture they had gone through at the tower and ask him to leave. All of his ideas ranged from that. But he knew she wasn't someone like that, who would reject his mere presence because he was there. And even if she was, he would be happy if he knew she was happy.

But what had him worried for all this time was what he was going to tell her. All this time he had thought of ideas to break the news to her. Should he just go right out and say it? Or should he keep it a secret until the right moment? Should he joke about it? Fuck no.

He could only imagine what she would do when he told her about her parents. That she had lost them in the tower and she never knew. It would be devastating.

That tower had done so much to him. To all of them. He was still reminded of what happened on the last day by the small scars covering his body. They weren't completely noticeable, but if you looked long enough you could see faded damaged skin from where he had been hurt by the torture and fighting with Jellal.

He stopped in his tracks as he looked up at the clouds floating overhead. What had happened to Jellal? And Milli-chan and Shō? Had Wally and Simon finally found their lost family like they always talked about? These worries had plagued his mind over all this time. He had wondered what had happened to Jellal to make him into such a monster. And if he met him again, would he be able to stop him?

Naruto looked down at his fake hand and clenched his fist.

Yes.

This is what he had been training for. This is why he was given this strength by Kurama's chakra. So what had happened to Kazuya-San and Erika-San would not happen to him. So he could save his friends if they ever needed him. And so that he could fight for this new life that so many people had helped him find.

Naruto smiled as he felt himself became more pumped and anxious as he screamed at the top of his lungs and sprinted forward down the path. He neared the hump of the hill and saw the silhouette covered by the clouds. He finally reached the top and saw his destination, and felt an unsatisfying feeling rest in his chest.

Acacia, the town he was running to, was ruined. They actually looked like ruins. It was far off but he could see that some of the buildings and homes were crumbled and broken. A small patch of smoke could be seen coming from the center of town.

Naruto gulped as he started walking forward to the town. Worried about what he was going to find.

**########Hunter########**

Naruto came to the outskirts of the tiny town and saw what was left. Most of the homes he found were broken and ruined. A fog of dust and dirt was reaching his knees as he beheld the mild destruction of the area. He looked all over and saw no signs of people or life of any kind.

"Wh-what the hell happened?" Naruto cupped his hands over his mouth "Hello! Is anyone there?! Do you need help?"

Naruto continued to look around until he spotted something through the dust. It looked like the figure of a person. Someone with hair down to their back and appeared like they were looking towards him. He smiled and then noticed that he could vaguely see the forms of two other people alongside the first.

"Hey! Are you all rig-" Naruto was suddenly tackled to the ground by something that hit his side. He grunted as he hit the ground, the same thing then grabbing his shoulders and pulling him into the shadow of the wreckage and taking his bag. He shook his head as he looked up to yell at whatever had attacked him and was met with a knife pointing at his face. He slowly lifted his hands to show he was not about to fight back.

"Who are you? What are you doing here?" Naruto looked at the young boy at least two years younger with brown hair as he held the knife to his face, fear and shock evident in his eyes. Naruto stayed calm and looked at the other kids around the boy in front of him. A little girl with the same hair color as the boy leader. A girl with long black hair who looked as angry the first boy. And finally two boys that were silently sobbing to themselves, one very fat and the other a thin little boy. "Answer me!"

"I was just passing by. I don't know what's going on. I swear."

"You liar! You're a part of that group aren't you!" He drew the knife closer to his face. The black haired girl grabbed his wrist before he did anything.

"Tohen, stop! We can't kill him!" She quickly glanced at the blond boy before lowering the boy's hand and trying to calm down. "You know what will happen if they find one of their members dead. They'll find us and kill us." All the other children flinched at her straightforward words.

"Who cares? If they hurt them, I'll kill him in revenge."

"Onii-chan?" The boy named Tohen instantly started to calm down and look over at the frightened young girl with brown hair. "What will happen to Tou-chan and Kaa-chan?" Tohen looked from his sister to the crouching blond and then back to the girl. He hugged her as she sobbed into his chest and he patted her back.

"It's all right Touko. I'll take care of everything." He stopped holding the girl as he looked to the blond boy with the gauntlet on his arm. "Who are you? Are you a part of that group?"

Naruto lowered his hands slowly and put them in his lap as the other children all looked at him worryingly. "My name is Naruto. I just came here because I heard I could get a trip to Magnolia if I found a carriage to take me. I'm not here to hurt you."

The other children all looked between each other before Tohen put away his knife and sat down. "My name is Tohen. This is my little sister Touko." The little girl hid behind her brother's back as she peeked out the side of her eye at the blond boy. He then gestured to the girl by his side.

"This is Saeko." The girl nodded her head at Naruto, who in turn nodded back. "And those are Bouchi and Rimi." The last two boys flinched in fright as Naruto looked towards them. All of these kids were wearing normal clothes but they were ripped and dirty, like they had been in a fight.

"What happened?"

Tohen lowered his head and pushed his hand through his hair. "These people...these-these monsters came out of nowhere. Looking for someone. They just started to destroy the whole town and captured everyone they could find." Touko cried into her brother's side as Saeko and the boy's all tried to forget the fighting. "Our parents got us away before they could find us."

"Who?"

"Those people. The guys from-" they suddenly heard some rubble shake as all the kids except Naruto nervously flinch. "Shit they're coming! Hide!"

Naruto watched as the kids all spread out and hid underneath the rocks and ruins. Saeko grabbed his arm and pulled him with her, hiding under a broken wall. Naruto tried to protest but found her hand covering his mouth. She shushed him as she looked through the cracked surface at the moving shadows. Naruto then grew curious as he looked through a crack at the scene.

He saw three people standing in the middle of all the ruins. Two of them were women, identical twins. One of them had long black hair and the other had short white hair. They both had a crazy look in their eyes' and had their arms in appropriately wrapped around each other. The last one was a man with black hair and glasses on his face. They were all wearing a similar uniform, except the twins had it zipped down to their cleavage and the man had a brown vest on.

"Oh~, I'm sorry Milt-kun, Miryoku-chan. I swear I heard something yelling over here" the dark haired sister said to the other two.

"Ah, it's all right Hanryoku-chan~." The light haired sister said as she slowly slid her hands up and down her sister's stomach. "Those little boo-boos are one of the reasons I love you so much."

"Can you two keep it in your pants? Honestly," the glasses man droned as he pushed his glasses up his nose. "Aren't you two siblings?"

"That's what makes it soooo bad!"

"And soooo good!"

"Whatever. We need to head back to the others. The master said he was going to pop over before he started heading to the border so we have got to make this place presentable. Besides," The man turned around and showed a horrifying smirk plastered on his face. "It's judgment time." The two sisters chuckled darkly as they followed after the man. Naruto watched the backs of the retreating group, the symbol of a fist of fire sewn into the backs of their uniforms.

Naruto felt the hand come off his face as he saw all the other children beside Saeko and Tohen sobbing. He looked to the girl over him as she watched the people leave. "Who were they?" The girl looked at him with some fear evident in her eyes.

"Damnation."

**########Hunter########**

Naruto and the misfit children all ran into the center of the town, hiding in the shadows. They kept towards the wall as they saw the three members join up with another two men, sitting in front of several men and women all on their knees. One of them had gold hair and a long black coat with several fringes separating it at the bottom, four swords tied to his back and two strange spiked batons in his hands. The man sitting on a crate had grey hair and had the sleeves of his black uniform ripped off. Naruto silently watched the group meet together as he noticed that all of the children were watching the adults with fear and worry. Obviously, the people on their knees were their parents.

"Okay!" The large man on the crate hefted himself off his knees and stretched in front of the group. "Let the trial begin. Are the jury and witness in company?" The group all yelled in confirmation while the adults all tried to make themselves small and invisible, shaking and crying. "Bailiff Cron. Bring out the accused."

The man in the long coat walked over to a broken home and pulled out a man with his hands and feet tied. He threw the man onto his knees in front of the leader. The man tried to escape but was surrounded on all sides by the Damnation group.

"'Skull Head' Drin!" The man in front of the group cowered as he was questioned by the large man. "You have been founded on the charges of arson, larceny, robbery, forgery, illegal marketing and murder. How do you plea?"

"What the hell is this? I'm getting out of-" before he could even stand, the swordsmen smacked him in the head with his large bat. Drin fell to his knees as blood dripped down his head.

"Guilty! As to be expected." All of the jury laughed to themselves as the man started to cry. "By the order of yours truly, Captain of the 19 section of the 3rd division of Damnation. I, Captain Mordreau, find you guilty. As such, you shall be punished." He walked forward and in front of the man, raised his hand and placed it on Drin's head.

"Wh-what-what are you doing?" Naruto watched carefully as all the children huddled together and hid their eyes. All of the adults doing the same thing.

"Oh the accused and accursed, we see you off on your journey to the next plane. Your sins and crimes forgiven and paid from the eyes of our judgement."

"Wait-wait please."

"Though through our act, we ourselves are cursed with the sin we punish. We continue on and aim for a better world." His hand starts shaking as Drin starts to groan and scream in pain. "And from our act, we rid this world of evil and horror. We ready ourselves for our own punishment and judgment."

Drin starts to scream more as his head is pushed down lower and lower. He tries to lift himself up but finds it hopeless. "For from our great deed to this world..." Something happens to his hand and he crushes Drin's head into the ground, blood spattering and skull crunching as the body twitches and stops. Everyone watching is speechless as Mordreau lifts his blood soaked hands and flicks the blood from it onto the corpse.

"We make a place for our Damnation."

All of the group start clapping and congratulating the man as the women start crying and men start shaking in fear. The children all try to forget the sounds of the killing as they huddle together for protection.

Naruto continued to look on in horror. What was that? They had called that judgement? That was nothing but murder! What the hell was happening?

"Great job captain!"

"You always give the best punishment!"

"Yeah! No one can stand up to your Mass!"

"Thanks. But it was nothing. I just wish we didn't have to keep doing this trial crap and I don't have to keep saying that damn prayer." The large man wiped the blood off his hands with the clothes of the dead body as he lifted it up and tossed it a few feet away. "That stupid senile old man keeps making us say this righteous crap when we just want to have fun."

"Yeah. When he chose us, did he really think that criminals were going to make good judges?"

Mordreau laughed as he put his hand on Cron's shoulder. "Well whatever he was thinking, we've got to prepare. Even if he is old he still scares the crap out of me. Milt, check those guys for any special traits. See if they got a large magic source or if they've got that thing the old bastard is looking for. Even though no one ever has it." The team all silently agreed as they started to clear up the space for the road. Milt pulled out a strange lacrima device and started to wave it around the men and women on their knees. The device let out some negative sounds before Milt sighed and pocketed the device in his vest. They continued to do this until one of the adults, a man with brown and silver hair, interjected.

"Hey!" All of the members looked towards him as they stopped what they were doing.

"Yeah?"

"What happens now? You've done your whole-your thing, so will you leave? Please!" The Damnation team all looked between each other before all of them laughing menacingly, striking the adults with fear. Milt dropped what he was doing and walked over to the man.

"Aw, that's cute." He pushed his glasses up before kicking the man in the jaw and sending him to the ground. Tohen almost screamed in anger as Saeko stopped him in his tracks. Naruto was right, that man was obviously Tohen and Touko's father. They all shared the same hair.

"Sir, you don't seem to understand." He lifted the man's head up by the chin as he looked directly into his eyes. "You were harboring a dangerous criminal. You are accomplices to his crimes and efforts."

"We-we didn't even know he was here! He was hiding in the storage with the cargo until the caravans came to pick up the next supply."

"Regardless, we can't let incompetent people like you sully our work." Mordreau dropped a large slab of stone before dusting himself off and pointing to all of the adults. "You all have to be punished."

All of the adults almost cried as they were assured a death sentence. Tohen tried to jump up and run towards them but Naruto grabbed his arm and pulled him down.

"What the hell are you doing? I have to stop them,"

"How? Running up there and getting yourself killed?" Naruto matched the boy's furious glare as the little girl tried to calm down her big brother. "You have to wait for the right moment."

"Fuck you! That's my dad!" He wrenched his arm out of the surprisingly strong hold and ran over the rubble and towards the center of town. As Tohen ran, he grabbed a large rock and kept it in his hand. When he finally reached close enough, he threw the large rock at the leaders head, hoping to kill the man.

The rock broke against the man's head as he lazily scratched his head. He and his group all looked over at the kid as he started to pick up more rocks and throw them at the people holding his family hostage. "Hey you bastards! Come over here! Come take me on!"

"Tohen! No! Run!" Tohen's father was punched by Milt again as the young boy continued to yell in protest.

"Sir what should we do?"

"I don't know." The captain scratched his head as he thought about what should happen next. "I mean. He's attacking the people of the rightful law, right? Sooo" he showed a devilish smirk as he made the boy cower in fear just looking at him. "He should be punished too."

"I got it. Let me take care of this kid, boss." Cron slowly strode over to the boy as he held the bats in his hands. Tohen slowly moved back as to keep away from the threatening man. He suddenly sprinted forward and kicked Tohen in his chest, sending the boy flying and skidding in the dirt. The father was screaming out swears as Tohen coughed up some blood, seeing the feet of the swordsman arrive just in front of him.

"It's okay kid. You had a pretty good run. You were brave to think you could take us on all by yourself." He swung his weapons around in his hand before holding them tightly in his grasp. "But the illusion ends here kiddo." Tohen tried to crawl away but found a boot blocking each exit.

"It's all right. Even if you tried to hurt the bringers of justice and peace, we will still forgive. And we shall give you passage onto the next life while we..." He raised his bat up and started swinging it down towards the boy's head.

"Find Damnation."

Tohen heard the cries of his father and little sister as he felt a sense of dread fill his chest. He closed his eyes as he knew the bat was coming down on his head, resigning himself to the fate.

***Clang***

Tohen opened his eyes again as he heard the sound of metal clashing against metal. He looked up to the damned soldier, only for his vision to be obscured by a black cloak and blond hair.

"You guys are really something you know that. I thought I was done with sickos like you." Cron had shock all over his face as the rest of the Damnation team looked on in surprise at what had just happened. The adults and children all had wonder on their face as Tohen continued to look at his unwavering back. "People who think that just because they were stronger and had more power, they could control anyone they wanted with an iron fist."

"But I was wrong." Naruto snarled out as he sent a death glare at the man in from of him. In his right hand he had Excalibur in a reverse grin, keeping the sword at bay and in place by pushing it into one of the spikes. On the left side, his metal hand was holding onto the struggling bat effortlessly, not even noticing Cron trying to pull them out of his hands. "And when I see guys like you hurt innocent people because they can."

"I get pissed." Naruto jumped off both Armor covered feet as his boots collided straight into the face of the prone swordsman. He pushed forward and sent the man flying back into the ground, pulling the spiked bats out of his hands and onto the ground. Cron bounced a few feet before steadying himself and looking up furiously at the blond child.

The boy made his sword disappear before lazily picking up the dropped bat in his right hand and spinning it, grasping the left in a reverse hold. "Now I really wanted to get going and see an old friend of mine. Haven't seen her in ages. But you know..."

He points the tip of his new weapons at the five soldiers and sent them a glare that promised pain and retribution. "I can take time out of my schedule to teach you bastards a lesson."

All five of the members of Damnations glared at the boy as they stood up and sent a wave of magical power at him, causing the children and adults to buckle at the surprising force of their killing intent. Naruto just shrugged it off as he stood ready.

"Come on."

**########Omake: How I Met Your Bitch########**

It was early in March of X778. In the only guild of Magnolia, the guild members were partying and celebrating as they always do. For whatever reason...they didn't know but hey, they were never ones to waste a party.

Sitting at one of the tables was the newest members of the famous guild. A trio of siblings that had arrived just a few days ago. The two sisters and brother were members of the Strauss family. And they had come to the guild after their parents had died last month. The family was still very upset over their loss but tried to ready themselves for a new lifestyle at the Fairy guild.

The master was extremely kind and had welcomed them with open arms. But besides him, they were having a very hard time integrating with the rest of the guild. Elfman was extremely nervous and shy when meeting with new people like this. Lisanna had been the best in this situation, being cheerful and plucky enough that she was the most approachable of the three of them. Already having talks with some of the other kids, like Natsu, Gray, Cana and Levy. But Mirajane...

The oldest sister of the group was the most stubborn and the hardest to approach. She had an attitude that just screamed rebellious and was very secluded when she had first arrived at the guild. She only ever spoke to her siblings or the master. Besides that, no one had the courage or reason to go up to her and talk.

"Mira-Nee, are you alright? You look upset."

"I'm fine Lisanna, just leave me be."

"Are you sure Nee-chan? We can sit here with you and eat, we don't mind."

Mira looked to her younger siblings and actually felt moved by their worry and concern. "Honestly Elfman, I'm all right. Go enjoy your meal with the others." The younger siblings looked at each other before reluctantly going over to join in with the younger guild members for lunch. Mira just sat there at the table, in the silence of her heart and with her thoughts. She knew that they wanted her to be better friends with the other guild kids but she just didn't know how to talk to them. So she would just sit here and let her kid brother and sister go and have fun. And as Mira sat there silently at the table, she heard the sound of metal boots hitting against the wooden floor.

"Excuse me, Mira-San?" The white haired Take-Over Mage lifted her head out of her hand and looked over to the questioning voice. She saw the form of that red haired armor girl that those Natsu and Gray kids were scared of. What was her name? Erza-San?

"Yes?"

"I'm sorry for the intrusion. But Natsu and Gray had told me that you had taken my strawberry cake. I don't really know if that story is true but do you know where it is?"

"Your cake? Did I take it?" She showed a bit of a tone of surprise when she was accused of taking something that she had never even eaten before.

"I'm sorry. I'm not accusing you or anything but I just wished to know."

"No I didn't take your cake. So can you leave know?"

Erza looked at the girl with anger as her tone became far less cooperating and much more hostile. She bowed and turned around, "Sorry for wasting your time."

"I don't know how you can even eat that fatty food? Keep trying and you'll grow up to be round as a ball."

Erza stopped her walk back as she abruptly turned around and headed back toward the gothic dressed girl. She sat across from her, gaining a surprised look from the oldest sibling as the Requip Mage glared at her. "What did you say?"

"I said I would never be caught dead eating such fatty food. I hear you can gain ten pounds from just one slice." Mira matched the senior mage's glare from across the table.

"I'll have you know that if you eat it in moderation, it can be a wonderful treat for the senses."

"Moderation. Right. And how many pieces do you eat a day?"

Erza actually blushed in ridicule as the new girl lightly chuckled at her. "Th-that's not important."

"Right. So I'm guessing you hide your fatty folds in all that armor, right? Keep your image."

"How dare you!" Erza jumped up and slammed her hands on the table. "That is unnecessary!"

"What's unnecessary is for you to come down here and say that I ate your food!"

"I was asking you a question! Even if you did I wouldn't have mind!"

"And I say you should get your facts straight before you start asking people if they take your things. I find it insulting when a little girl in armor thinks I go out of my way to take her food."

"And I think it is rude when a little goth girl in black tries to look tough by acting like she is so much better than everyone else."

"You want to fight bitch!"

"Bring it whore!"

Mira and Erza jumped over the table and lunged at each other, their fists flying as they tried to gain the upper hand over the other. After the first few minutes, their fight was being cheered on by almost the entire guild. At first, only Lisanna and Elfman were making any real effort to break up the fight. Being told it was just a friendly little spat between girls.

Then the minutes turned into moments. And the moments turned to hours. Soon, the entire guild was running away from the carnage that came in the path of those two girls fighting. Makarov tried to stop the fight while he still could but was sucked in and beaten to a pulp, thrown out the side like a rag doll. Everyone ran from the guild as it had become ground zero for the worst cat fight in Magnolia history.

To this day, there has not been a longer, more meaningless fight then what had transpired between those two vixens.

In the aftermath of the battle, among the many destroyed tables and unconscious mages, a naked black haired boy clutched his arm and tried to rummage through the wreck. He found a crate with a frightened Natsu hiding under it. Usually he would kick the boy out but in these circumstances he hid with the dragon slayer.

"Natsu. We took this too far. We should have never told Erza that Mira took her cake."

"But it was either her or us. And I remember what happened last time she found out we ate her cake."

"Even so. We can't let anyone know this was our fault. Agreed?" Gray held out his hand to the pink haired boy.

"Agreed. We take this to our graves!" And just like that, the two boys continued to cower underneath a crate as the war raged on.

**########Hunter########**

**_Done_**

**_Where have I been! What have I done! Absolutely nothing!_**

**_I know that it was bad that I haven't made any new updates for this thing in like two months. So as a token of appreciation for not abandoning me, I shall make an announcement._**

**_(Trumpets play a powerful song)_**

**_Hear me~, hear me~. As of this post, Master Attlon shall attempt to release a chapter of Hunter every week for the month of April. And in his attempt, shall also try to update Inequal and Prince. That is all~._**

**_Ah. Everything is always better when you make an announcement you probably won't follow through. Just kidding. Gonna do my best for you._**

**_ReadxReview_**

**_Thanks and Bye!_**


	9. The Shot Heard Around The World

Titania and The Hunter

Chapter 9: The Shot Heard Around The World

Disclaimer: You know the drill

And in the second week, he brought the next chapter. Oh just kidding, but seriously, thank you guys for all of the support! Just so god damn awesome!

In the last few weeks since I started writing the last chapter, Shadow Rogue is actually Future Rogue. FR took out FL in front of Natsu and gang. Fairy Tail won! Sting goes out like a bitch! And Natsu gets his ass handed to him by the Shadow Of Light! And the dragons emerge! I'm excited for the next installment!

Hope things go my way because I have an idea for what I could do to make that segment more intriguing and surprising. Dan Dan Daaaaan!

Also, the next two chapters after this will probably be my favorite. We are going to see some serious development!

So here we gooooooooo!

**#########Hunter########**

A cloud of dust passed over the desert road. Small bugs and reptiles passed over the dirt path as they heard a rumble closing in. They dispersed as the sounds of a train blasting its whistle was echoed through the empty pass. The train ran over the rails as it headed to the next major city area on its map. And in the opposite direction, a magical 4-wheeler darted down the desert road.

The car moved up and down as it hit dirt clumps and holes in the ground. The two figures inside the vehicle bounced with the movement of the cart as one seemed to take it in stride while the other grew more agitated with every move. But the jokester at the wheel of the car with the SE plug on her arm just chuckled at the fun she was having, her modest chest bounced within her open front black suit.

"Ahahahahahaha, this so much fun! I need to do this more often!" She continued to jump with the car as she heard more grunts and unpleasant noises coming from a rough, very baritone voice. As she hit another bump, the voice in the carriage seemed to rage as he slid the view window out and looked at the brown-haired girl.

"For Fuck Sake Marika, Control Yourself!" The man with the shaggy black hair and long sideburns screamed as he found the hilt of the sword on his back blocking him from going out any further. "The Master can't keep taking your abuse just because you get wet from adrenaline! So calm down now!"

"Ahahaha, lighten up Uvo-kun. It's not every day we get to hit a road like this on our route and have such fun." She looked behind her shoulder at the burly man as she sent him a sly grin. "Besides, if we should blame anyone it should be the guy who carries around a sword as large as himself on his back. We can't spend all of our time indulging in your whole compensation fetish because it takes ten minutes to fit in your sword."

"That's it! Pull over! I'm going to teach you a lesson about respect little girl!" He started to comically grab her hair as she shrieked and bit his hand. The car swerved as their tantrum caused Marika to lose her concentration on the road. They were about to had a full out fight in this awkward position before a weary and aged voice grabbed both their attentions.

"Now now you two. There is no need for you to fight while we are traveling. Just calm down and take a deep breathe." As the words left his wrinkled lips, the two enraged soldiers seemed to calm down and resume what they were previously doing. The man with the snow white hair chuckled as he watched the two of them pout in anger. "Better?"

"Yes Matser/Jii-chan." He laughed and resumed looking out the window at the fleeting scenery. His black uniform covered by an old time government coat around his man in question had shoulder length long white hair that he had gained in his advanced age. A small rugged beard that had grown around his chin after a long time of keeping it unkempt. Down his face was a faded scar that began at the top of his forehead straight down the right side of his face until it reached his chin and could be seen going down his collar bone. The scar ran down his eye and made the focal muscle useless and murky.

"Now have two calmed down?" He saw Uvogin nod his head and through the window saw Marika nod hers. He smiled kindly and he chuckled at their behavior. "Good, I don't like to see you youngsters fight amongst yourselves. Marika! If you start to grow tired, warn us okay? Uvogin and I can take up after you."

"You kidding Jii-chan? I could keep this up all across Fiore!" She screamed a triumphant yell as she raised her arms above her head. "There's a reason so many people follow me you know!" The back of her uniform could be clearly seen with a green arrow sewn onto her left sleeve. On her back was the symbol of a flaming fist. General of the 3rd division.

"He picked you because you were so annoying he had to shut you up anyway he could." Uvogin readjusted himself and sat down with the blue arrow shown on his right sleeve. General of the 2nd division.

"Now now. No more arguing." His left arm emerged out of the coat and showed a deep red arrow put onto both sleeves. General of the 1st division. "We will never arrive at Mordreau-kun's base if you continue to squabble like this. Now, full speed ahead!"

"Yes sir!" Both companions yelled as Marika sent more magical power into the plug and sent the car speeding twice as fast. Of course, earning more complaining from Uvogin and the chagrin of their Master.

**########Hunter########**

Tohen looked up at the black cloaked figure of the blond stranger he had met only a moment ago. He was totally shocked at the event happening in front of him. No. No. Shocked is an understatement. Maybe flabbergasted? No that's stupid. Anyway, back to this fight.

All he could say was that he had never seen anything like this. He was told of the horrors of the independent mercenary guild and that most adults were terrified of this group. And that he should run as fast as he could in any direction he could if he met someone from that guild.

But this kid, not much older than him, was challenging a merciless group right before his eyes. He knew the blond boy had seen what those monsters had done and yet he still chose to fight. Where almost every adult and soldier peed themselves and ran screaming, this boy went and challenged them straight to their face. Was this guy brave? Was he stupid?

Was he strong?

"Hey, Tohen right?" The brunette boy suddenly realized that he was being addressed by the blond with the bats in his hands. "I'm going to need you to run as soon as you find an opening. While I fight, you need to grab you friends and family and take off any way you can, okay?"

"Wh-what are you talking about? You can't seriously be thinking of fighting these guys, can you?"

"Yep." Tohen would have face faulted if he already wasn't lying down on his side.

"Bu-but you'll die."

"Says who?"

"Sa-says everyone!"

"If everyone tried fighting then maybe it would work?"

"What kind of shitty logic is that?!"

"Whatever kid! I'm going to take these guys down and then you will escape while you can." As he said that, all the members of Damnation seemed to burst into laughter except for Cron whose eyes were darkened as he looked at the ground.

"Ah Kid! You can't seriously be thinking you can take us!"

Naruto just widened his stance as he held the spiked weapons in front of him as a guard. "Watch me!"

He dashed forward as his boots lifted up the dirt with every step he took. He jumped in the air and flew straight at the members of the group. He landed in the middle of their group as almost all of the members were shocked at the speed and ferocity of the boy's action. He adjusted himself, aimed the bats at the twin sisters and swung them at their heads.

The girls barely dodged the boy's efforts as he continued his arc and tried to attack Milt and Cron. Milt jumped back and Cron rolled away as they tried to keep their distance from the new boy. The only option allowed for the boy now was to attack the head honcho of the group. As Naruto reached out to hit him even harder, he was met with some surprisingly powerful resistance.

Naruto looked up to see the sleeveless man was blocking his right attack with just the back of his fist. Naruto gritted his teeth before jumping back and diving at the man once again. Naruto started to make a flurry of fierce attacks that continued to impact against the man's hands as he halted the boy's attacks. Every chance he could, the man would try to slip in an attack of his own but was met with the boy blocking his attempt with a bat. The two of them continued this exchange as the other Damnation members all regained their bearings and watched the fight. Before long they all snickered and were preparing to blindside the advancing boy.

Tohen watched the fight in surprise and horror as the strange boy put up a fight against the menacing captain and his group of monsters. Before the boy lost himself in the spectacle, he remembered the mission he had and the importance of the opportunity he was given. He wiped the blood of his chin and stumbled before standing up on his feet. He turned his head to the faces of the stunned children and motioned for them to follow him. They all flinched and seemed to contemplate before nodding their heads and coming out of their hiding spots.

The captain parried a blow and sent Naruto stumbling for an instant. In that instant, the twin sisters appeared above him with slasher smiles aimed at the young boy. They kicked down and aimed at the boy as he back stepped and blocked their attacks with the bats. They started to jump over each other, mixing their kicks and punches together to confuse the young fighter. As Miryoku jumped over Naruto, he had to position himself to keep an eye on the descending girl and her attacking sister. But as the women fell, a strange magical sensation covered both her and her sister.

With a smirk, her body suddenly soared straight at the boy, getting an attack on the side of the stunned boy's head as he stumbled. As he tried to get his bearings back, Hanryoku kicked him in the face, sending him back a foot as he steadied himself and glared at the twins by each other's side.

While all of the fighters were distracted Tohen appeared by his father's side. He got the man's attention away from the fight as he gestured for them to make a move while they still could. The man was momentarily stunned from the fight to the need for an escape. He got his bearings as he agreed with his son as he issued all the other villagers to follow his lead.

Naruto was desperate as he continued to fight and parry the moves of the strange twin fighters, their weird magic landing a hit on him whenever he was concentrated on one of them. Milt jumped in behind him, gaining the boy's attention as the bespectacled man added his attacks into the flurry. The three members surrounded him in a triangle, cutting him off in all directions as every time he blocked two attacks one of them would slip in and contact.

Mordreau stood off to the side of the battle as he laughed like a maniac with his arms crossed over, Cron at his side still kneeling and absentminded. "Ha! That kid was just a little too cocky! Oh well. I love to see those three use their Magnet and Analysis together! I guess the young learn a little too late, huh Cron?" The older captain looked to his side to see the swordsman was still unresponsive. The captain had instantly understood what that meant as he had seen that look on his face before. "Oh, I should probably step back?" He stepped aside as the golden haired man finally stood back up.

"He... He took them... My bats... Those were mine... I kill with those..." He lifted his eyes with a cold, murderous glare aimed at the struggling blond boy. Slowly, a magical presence flared around him as his coat tails lifted and hardened. They started to twist around and change, forming imitation appendages. The coat tails made black and silver arms as they separated the coat and reached for the swords on his back. They pulled the swords off and lowered them to the ground, the swords gleaming in the sunlight.

"You little fucker. You little fucker!" All the members dispersed as Naruto was left there puzzled. He looked over to where he could sense a magic flare and saw the coated man with four black arms and his normal arms jerking around like he was ready to slice the boy to a pulp. "I'll cut you to pieces you little shit!"

Cron dashed forward and suddenly disarmed Naruto's left hand, taking back his bat from the boy's hand. The man started to swing around and attack Naruto with all five of his weapons at the same time. Naruto struggled but was able to parry all of the strikes with the other bat and his metal arm. As the strikes began to turn stronger, he put more power into his blocking and started to hold even ground with the insane blade user. The blocks caused sparks between metal and cracks in the sides of the blades the soldier was using.

As the fight continued, Cron felt some stress build on his Limbs when the boy started to match his speed and strikes. Even in this state of danger, he felt exhilarated that this little boy could actually match his ferocity. He watched as the boy's mismatched eyes looked at him with a cold and malevolent glare. The man actually smiled and wished for more, until...

"Move."

Cron instantly knew what that meant as he clicked his tongue in disappointment before jumping out of the way and leaving the blond boy open.

Naruto looked surprised as he watched the multi-armed man jump away before he looked back in front of him. A massive fist impacted straight to his chest as he reacted and tried to protect himself. He was lifted off his feet with wide eyes as he spat out blood. The huge fist stopped and the young Mage flew several meters back as his body skidded on the ground, unmoving. The captain of the Damnation squad pulled his fist back as he stood between all of his subordinates. His Mass magic dispersed from his hand as he looked between all of his men.

"Are you all alright?" He watched as the entire team looked over themselves for injuries. The twins and Milt all touched some small bruises on their arms and legs from where the boy had matched their blows. Cron lowered his arms and gazed at the cracked and dull edges of his blade. Mordreau sighed and scratched his neck, "I know you all wanted to play with the kid a little longer but we have work to do." The man looked over to the vest wearing member of his squad.

"Go check him out will ya? He's probably broken but he might still be breathing. See if he's got anything on him worth taking."

"Ugh, yes sir."

"Oh and grab my bat too!"

"Yeah! Yeah!" Milt grumbled as he walked over to the still form of the unmoving boy. He bent down and started to search through the boy's cloak and pockets. He grabbed the boy's limp metal arm and waved it around, seeing that it was fused to the shoulder of the stranger. He raised an eyebrow as he realized that he found nothing on the boy he could take. Just as he was about to return back to the group, he felt a vibration in his vest pocket.

"Oh what is it now?" He reached inside and pulled out the device he had used earlier to check the adults for potential. He received some weird readings before he started to fiddle with some settings. When he had finished, he looked at the results with a confused expression. Then his eyes started to widen, before he was actually stuttering and trying to find words. He stumbled to stand up on his feet as he turned and looked toward his teammates, actually losing his agitated attitude and looking at them with excitement.

"Captain! Captain! I found it!"

Mordreau and his team looked towards the brains of their operation as he jumped up and down. "The damn thing found him! We got one of the-"

Just as Milt was about to finish his sentence, he was back-fisted from behind so hard he was sent head first straight into the ground. Damnation looked on in shock as the previously believed dead boy stood behind where Milt once stood, his right fist held out and panting mildly. He looked down at the unconscious man at his feet before looking back up at the group. He lifted his left hand and showed everyone a slim, crushed metal plate on a stick.

"I got lucky that I put this thing in your way." He looked toward Mordreau as he tossed the ruined weapon to his side. "If I was even a second late I probably wouldn't have gotten back up." He looked down at the vest wearing man and smirked to himself. _'Glad to know my chakra could knock a guy out if I hit him right.'_ He didn't plan to use his chakra in this fight but he could tell he was going to have a tough battle just from the sparring he had with these guys. Especially the captain, if that last hit told him anything. He laughed and started to message his right hand.

"Does that sting?"

The large middle-aged man lifted up his right hand and saw that his knuckles were bleeding; the spikes from the bat had broken off and were stuck in his fingers. He clicked his tongue and glared at the boy coldly as he started plucking out the metal pieces. Cron at his side had seemed even angrier.

"You little bastard! That was my bat you used!"

"Whatever you freak! If you've got such a boner for weapons make sure your enemy can't take them from you so easily!"

Cron flinched before he actually started to froth at the mouth, barely being held back by the twins holding onto his arms. Mordreau raised his hand in front of him and stopped any advances he could take. "Do you really still think you can fight? We just showed you that we could take you down in a matter of seconds? And you still want to try?"

"Oh, was I really fighting? Or was I just grabbing your attention?" The captain questioned his words before realizing what he said and turning around to see an empty village. He cursed when he realized that the boy was actually toying with them to let the hostages escape. He glared at him while Naruto laughed and stretched out his hands.

"Now that the civilians are gone, the adults get to play, huh?" He Requip his swords into his hands and held them in a defensive stance, showing a devilish smile and gleam in his eyes.

"Let's go!"

**########Hunter########**

"~Oh, I know a song that gets on everybody's nerves! Everybody's nerves! Everybody's nerves! I know a song that gets on everybody's nerves and this is how it goes~!"

"Ahhhhhhhhhhhhh! Shut up! Shut up!" The large man started to bash his head against the view window as he glared at the peppy woman as she sung her irritating vocals. "If you say that god damn verse one more time ill cut you to pieces!"

"Oh yeah, I'd like to see you try~." She continued to sing as she drove through the green area. She looked around at the change in scenery as the desert was lost and switched for the plains they were currently traveling in.

"Damn it woman! Do you think the Master likes to hear you prattle on with these annoying songs? Master tell her to know her place!" He got no reply. "Master?"

"Hmmm hmm hm hm hm hmm hm hmmm hm hmmmm hmmm, hmmmm hm hmmmmm hm hmmmmm- I'm sorry Uvogin what did you say?"

"Master don't hum the song! You'll encourage her!" As the large man started to argue with the elderly man as he just chuckled and waved him off, the vehicle was brought to a sudden stop. The two men looked at each other without saying anything as Uvogin pushed the window and looked outside. "Woman, what did you do?"

"I think we hit a little snag." She unhooked the plug from her arm as she jumped to the ground, looking at the menacing men in front of them. Uvogin exited out of the car and walked over to the woman as she tiredly looked at the gang of bandits. "Okay, who are you?"

"We are the guys who own this mountain, sweetie." The man and woman looked around as dozens of men all came out from behind the trees, leering at them. "And you just trespassed on our territory. So you should probably just leave all you belonging and go. Before my men start to get hungry." They started to close in on the two of them as they all drooled and crept closer. The man and woman did not show fear as Uvogin unhooked his massive sword from his back and the woman cracked her knuckles.

"Race you?"

"You're on."

**########Hunter########**

Mordreau watched the scene with a stoic glare. He had fought so many people through his many years of living. He had killed soldiers and bandits, mages and civilians, and everyone in between. People who could match him in strength, others that were so insignificant he could swat them away like flies.

The only man he had ever met that completely outclassed him was the old bastard that converted him into this so-called guild. Even the members of his team couldn't beat him unless they all attacked him at the same time.

But this little kid was actually holding his own against the subordinates of his team. Mind you he was bruised and bleeding a little, and one of his swords was broken leaving only a short stretch of metal on a hilt. He just watched as the blond boy took in as many deep breathes as he could as he readied himself to fight again.

The captain didn't actually advance on the fighting, leaving it for the sadistic twins and the crazed swordsman. But the twins were both panting, blood going down their chins and a black eye for both of them. For Cron, two of his three weapons were broken and one of his of his extra limbs was cut off. And Mordreau knew what that meant as far as his endurance went. So he just looked on and watched as the fight continued.

Naruto kept his form and breath steady as he looked at the enemies. He kept the broken katana in his left hand and fiddle with the broad sword in his right. He winced when he felt some of his bruised ribs ache when he tried to take a deep breath. He knew that his chakra wouldn't be able to bring much of an advantage in this battle as it did with the other man. So he had to rely on his magic to help him win this battle. But his concern wasn't with the twins or swordsman but with the large captain who just watched as he fought. The whiskered boy knew that the man was going to be more trouble than these three so he had to conserve magic.

So what was he going to do? He didn't he have any help. Didn't have any other means of escape. And was running out of time before he was going to be a fish in a barrel. What did Rob-jichan tell him to do in situations like this? Use his head? Okay, what did he know? The twins came towards each other like magnets when he was between them. The guy could use his magic to make fake limbs and control them like they were his own. So how was he going to...

...

He smirked. Oh, that would work.

"Man, what's with you guys. I thought you were intimidating but wow I was wrong." He laughed as loud as he could as he egged the people on as they all looked at him in hate. "I fought lizards that do more damage then you guys."

"Don't let him get to you. He's just trying to anger you-"

"It works!" The twins both ran forward, pulling knives from their cleavage and holding them in between their fingers. Naruto jumped back and started to slash at the women, his sword overpowering their knives and throwing them off their feet. The women started to attack desperately as Naruto continued to toy with them, effortlessly parrying their attacks and dodging their throws. He flashed a grin that just pissed off the girls.

"That's it! Kill him!" Hanryoku jumped off of Miryoku's back as Naruto watched her arc over him. Miryoku locked his arms in place and kept him close to her chest, facing him as she watched her sister land a few feet back. Hanryoku held out her knives and the twins surged their Magnet magic, causing the light-haired sister to lift up and pull towards the two of them, aiming to skewer the blond Mage in the back.

"What now you brat?!"

Naruto looked to Miryoku and smirked as he moved his hand and cut her in the leg with his blade. She screamed and lost her focus, letting the boy cut her arms with the broken blade. Her grasp was lost as Naruto was let free and she stumbled back. Naruto then Requip his broken sword and grabbed her face with his left hand. He turned around and watched as Hanryoku soared towards them, unable to stop as the boy put her sister's head in the way of her flight.

***Bam***

The sisters' heads collided as their skulls rung and they were both stunned, forgetting their previous pincer tactic in its entirety.

"Miryoku-chan, that hurts."

"Shut up Hanryoku-chan!" The sister then both saw from the corner of their eyes that Naruto had shifted to their side, holding his hand out to keep the two of them in place. He smirked as he twisted and lifted them up before aiming for the ground. Their head contacted with each other and cracked the ground beneath them as they passed out from the pain.

Naruto lifted his hand off and showed that the girls' eyes had gone white and they were bleeding from their noses. He shook his hand and summoned his Kusanagi back in its broken condition. He looked over to the two remaining members of the group. He smirked as he lifted two fingers off the hilt.

"Two to go."

Cron looked at the cheeky boy with an even glare before he held his blades out in front of him. He walked forward before then running forward with all of his weapons at the ready and the bat grasped in both hands. Both of them started to slash at each other with full power, aiming to cut them to shreds.

"I'm going to cut you in half. Then quarters. Then sixteenths and then smaller and smaller. And feed 'em to a pig and watch as it shits you out." The sparks from their exchange covered their eyes as the sound of metal clashing against metal rang out through their ears.

"Okay. That's interesting and all. But let me ask you something?" The final cross ended up in a stalemate, Excalibur holding three of the swords up as his gauntlet arm pushed down the bat and blocked the last sword with his elbow. They both were inches away from each other as Naruto looked at the mad man with a slight smirk on his face. "Your magic can let you make arms and stuff, right?"

The man raised an eyebrow at the question as he slowly nodded his head. "And you can feel and control them like they were your own arms? And when I cut one of them off, your overall strength went way down. And I can speak from personal experience that losing an arm can be a killer. So...what happens when I do this?" He tensed his arms and unlocked them both, leaving the golden-haired man open for a second. He pulled back the sharp broken hilt and swung up; cutting off the fabric of two of his arms and making the man clench his teeth in pain.

As the swords dropped to the ground and the fabric fell with them, the man stumbled slightly before grasping the bat as hard as he could. He used most of his magic to form the arms and make them follow his instructions when he wanted them to. So he had to have a sense of feeling to make the arms react how he wanted. So if they were cut, let alone cut off, it hurt like hell.

Cron felt his vision go hazy and unclear as he tried to focus on his enemy. He lifted his head and prepared the last arm on his back to cleave the boy's scalp off. When his eyes grew clearer, he saw the blond boy with his right elbow coming towards him.

His head turned and he spun around once when the elbow impacted his jaw, shattering it on the left side. He stumbled again as the last coat tail fluttered and dropped the sword, returning to its lifeless form. He fell to his knees and his eyes turned to the back of his head, before falling on his face.

Naruto panted heavily as he held himself up on his knees. Some sweat dripped from his chin as he shook his head to focus himself. He looked up to see that the captain of the little squad had left from his position and was walking over to him, taking off his sleeveless uniform as his boots kicked up the dirt. He tossed it to the side and flexed his massive arms as every step he took cracked the ground.

"One last chance kid. You're gonna die either way but I'll give you a choice. I could make this all happen in an instant or it will be slow and excruciating? Your choice."

"Whatever the choice is" aimed the tip of his blade at the man as he cracked his knuckles. "That makes you wish you never met me."

The man actually chuckled at the boy's undeserved confidence. He tensed his legs and smiled at the young man. "Here I come!"

**########Hunter########**

"Okay, so I cut up about 36 of them." The man said as he walked besides his younger female teammate over the piles of dismembered body parts and unmoving corpses. "You?"

"Ha! 38! I win!" She bragged as she wiped the blood off her knuckles and hands. She jumped over the bodies in victory before doing a little dance that irked her fellow guild mate. "Since I win, you buy the next set of beers when we go into the pub in Seven, got it?" As the two of them were about to reach the car to leave, a stirring and voice alerted them to a survivor in the mess of blood and limbs.

"Wa-wait! Wait!" The leader of the group, the man who had first threatened the three travelers when they first arrived. The man stumbled out of the pile of his men, covered in blood and holding on tightly to his separated right arm. "Yo-you people! I know you people! You monsters!"

"Monsters is a bit of a harsh term to use. Don't you think Uvo-kun?"

"Don't try to be cute kid it doesn't work for you."

"You!" The man let go of his severally bleeding wound and pointed at the young, brown haired woman. "You are 'Marika the Disassembler'! You killed an entire platoon of Rune Knights with just your bare hands. You put the living pieces of the men on spikes for the entire world to see and laughed as they promised to hang you from the tallest tower in Fiore!"

"Oh yeah, man I had some great times back then. Used to kill for food and live in the trees and shit. But hey, more civilized now. Now, I just do it for fun."

"And you! You're 'War Blade Uvogin'!" He pointed to the large, black-haired swordsman as he yawned in absolute boredom. "You murdered hundreds in the Cabria war on the front lines. Working as a soldier for hire for anyone who paid you enough. You could kill anyone with your swords in an instant."

"Yeah well Acceleration magic will do that when you use it right."

"You two were some of the most wanted criminals in all of Fiore for what you di-*cough**cough*" the bandits coughed out a large amount of blood as he fell to his knees. He looked up at them as if he was trying to tell them something. "Wh-why are you here?"

"Well we joined Damnation because we were asked to. Jii-chan found us wherever we were held up and gave us an offer. Now we owe him everything. Followers, respect, the strength to put the old us to shame."

"Yeah. The Master came up to me while I was searching through a guild I had cut up. Told me that if I followed him, I would have over 200 men loyally following my side and never a dull day to be had. And" Uvo laughed as he hefted his sword off his back again. "He was right. Hey Marika you got more than me so I'll be taking this guy, okay?"

"Bu-but don't you see who you are following?!" The man stumbled back as he fell to his rear, trying to escape from the intimidating man with the massive cleaver. "Th-that monster-that Demon!" Uvogin stopped his trek towards the injured man as he and Marika both looked at him. "Do you know who that man is? That so called 'Master' you are following? The things he has done?"

"You really should watch your words man."

"That-that 'thing' that all of you are so keen on following, it's not human!" The man said with a tone of pure hate and disdain as he looked at the two Generals of the army like guild. "Everybody looked up to him; saw him as an idol and hero to the people of the royal city. Before he went crazy and killed all of those innocent people. He destroyed an entire town because he was chasing some kind of shadow. And he escaped the custody of the entire armed forces of the Royal Palace guard and Rune Knights. And he gathered up depraved and crazy people, just like him, and told them to kill because they could."

"Seriously, stop talking!"

"And now he goes around the country, around the world, killing people! Looking for something that never existed! And you follow that like he is some kind of messiah! He thinks this is justice but he is just some old loon who can't even understand what is happening in the world anymore! You think that is someone you can trust in! You think you can trust the 'Tyrant Devil Alexander Sorrento'!"

"It depends on how you gain their trust." A soft, elderly voice said from the inside of the vehicle. The door opened and a pair of combat boots came out of it, following with the form of a man at least over eighty. He closed the door and walked over to them, showing that he was tall, probably 6-feet. He long white hair came down to his shoulders as he came to a stop on front of the injured man. A man who looked at the old elder with so much uncontrolled fear and horror that just the only thing keeping him from soling himself was the situation he was in.

"I come to weary, broken children. Boys and girls. And I tell them that this world has been unkind to them. A world where they have been mistreated and abandoned, a world with no justice in it except the one they can make for themselves. And I tell them they can embrace that justice with their own hands. As long as they can trust me to help them find a new life." He smiled kindly at the injured man as he seemed to try and crawl away as fast as he could with one working arm.

"And...about that whole 'shadow' thing...it's just a bit of an unresolved issue I've had for almost half a century now. I just want them to check out anyone they meet and send back word if they have met that certain someone." He walked over to the crying man as he lifted him up by his good arm and dusted him off. "Of course it is still a bit of a sensitive subject and I don't like to be reminded of it." He smiled at the man, which looked grim and evil from the way his voice was so cold and kind, and the scar down his face only worsened it. "But even my old age has softened my anger. So I'll give you until the count of five."

He turned around and slowly walked back to the 4-wheeler. The bandit took the chance as he ran for dear life, ignoring his limp arm as he ran on the corpses of his followers.

"5..."

The man desperately jumped over everybody in his way and the rough any clear paths.

"4..."

The bandit tripped but then started to claw at the ground as he got back to his feet.

"3..."

Uvogin holstered his massive sword to his back as Marika out her hands in her pockets, following the old man back to the car.

"2..."

Several rings of silver air started to appear around Sorrento's arms as he stepped over some rubble in his way.

"1..."

The rings gathered around his index finger and more and more appeared as a ringing noises echoed around him. He stood in front of his car and turned around, pointing his finger at the retreating man's back like a gun.

"Sonic Shock."

A loud bang burst out as his hand was sent back. All of the rubbed and clutter between the man and Sorrento was blown away or pushed back as the magic homed in on the dying bandit. It reached the man as a slight scream could be heard before an enormous bang rang out, causing Uvogin and Marika to flinch at the sonic boom. A huge dome of energy exploded out from where the man once stood as all of the plants, trees, bushes and bodies were blasted back. The loud ringing and air pressure continued for several seconds before it went quiet. Nothing standing there was left as a cloud of dust spread over the bodies.

"M-man Jii-chan, your Shock is just a great as I remember."

"Yes, I have to keep in my best shape." Marika was heading for the front before his hand grabbed her shoulder, causing her to look over at his face. "I'll drive."

She stayed silent before slowly nodding her head and joining Uvogin in the back. The old man latched the plug to his arm as he took hold of the wheel. "We'll be there in an hour, so stay focused."

The car took off as they passed through a cloud of red mist. A dust trail was all that was left from where the car once was in the center of a field of grass and bodies.

**########Hunter########**

Naruto was sent flying through the remains of a broken wall. He rolled several times before lifting his dust covered head and coughing, some blood dropping down to the dirt beneath him. He looked back up to see Mordreau standing above him, already with a smirk on his face and his fist held up high, full of his Mass to crush the kid's head.

He brought his fist down as Naruto dove to his side, narrowly dodging having his body squashed like a bug while his cloak folded on his back. He jumped back to his feet and pulled his swords to his side, jumping up and aiming for the man's face. The captain leaned back, leaving Naruto in midair as he tried to turn around again and get another hit. He was met with a knee strike to the back as the blond boy gasped in pain and clenched his teeth.

He jumped back and started to stab his sword at the man's chest, only to receive some light laughter as he pushed the blade aside with the palm of his hand. Naruto felt anxious and scared as he was toyed with like a little boy being bullied by his older brother. He felt weak and powerless, like all of his effort and training was for nothing when he met this man who was so overwhelming. He felt like...

Like he was back in the dark cage, watching the masked men walk by as he laid there on the ground.

Like that little boy who tried to hide his fear and loneliness as he kept a brave face for all of his friends in the slave cell.

He felt useless. And that terrified him.

When his last swing went too far, Mordreau laughed and punched the boy in the chest when he was wide open. Naruto felt his ribs creak as he was sent flying into a harder, sturdier wall. His back impacted and he gasped for air, slowly sliding down the wall as his feet met the ground. The exhausted boy looked up as the barely damaged tower of a man walked in front of him, only a few feet away.

"So...still think you can win?"

"Yeah...*huff**huff* just need to catch my breath." Naruto looked up at the man as he shook his head and put his hands on his hips. "Wha-what's so funny?"

"I used to be like you kid. Thinking I could come from some rich family and save the world. Could solve all of my problems with a can do attitude and some special skills. But the world doesn't work like that. You don't have friends you can rely on. You don't have the strength to win against the strong people. And you don't always come out of impossible situations for the better. That's how the world works." He straightened up as he wiped some dirt from his brow. "Let me tell you about what you are facing. A group of over 600 well trained, extremely coordinated mages that could make you cry in a second. Lead by my General, a fighting crazed she-male who gets her tits off when she kills people. A lump of muscle that has killed so many people he could start a market selling their body parts. And a man who is so powerful he was once considered to join the Ten Wizard Saints. That is Damnation!"

Naruto continued to take deep breathes as he looked at the man's feet instead of his face. Just as Mordreau thought he had destroyed the boy's resolve, he started to laugh. "Hehehe, you don't think I understand that? That I really just saw the world from some diamond glass and everything would be good? No. Let me tell you what I know."

He lifted himself up and looked at the man with a strong fire burning in his blue and brown eyes. "I know that there are people like you in this world. Guys who are so damn twisted and demented that they think they can do just about anything to weaker people because they are stronger. That they have privilege and status! I've lived my whole life having to listen to the words of people like you! And I'm not going to anymore!"

"All of us? All over the country? The world? What? Are you going to hunt us down?"

"That's right! I will hunt down every single one of you and make you wish you never joined that fucking Damnation!

He smiled as he continued to look at the stoic male leader. "I have friends I can rely on. I'll gain the strength to win any battle I'm in. And I'll push through and defeat any impossible challenge in my way. First off..." He held Excalibur at arm's length as he pointed it at the man in front of him, "I'm going to cut you with this blade."

Mordreau shook his head and started to crack the knuckles of his right hand. "Okay, let me tell you how this is actually going to happen. I'm going to crush both that sword and your chest with this fist. And then, I'll watch you bleed out as you try to say something through your pierced lungs."

"Well, we'll see." Naruto urged the man to come at him as he started to bounce on his feet. Mordreau ran forward and reeled his fist back, aiming for the boy's chest. Naruto stretched his right arm out and let the tip of Excalibur touch his knuckles. As his arm started to be pushed back from the overwhelming strength, Naruto moved over and put the end of the blade's hilt on the wall. Mordreau had no time to react as the hilt of the blade was reinforced by the wall and the sword was pierced through his fist.

As Mordreau clenched his teeth in pain, Naruto dove to the left side of the man and cut his face with the broken Kusanagi. He rolled on the ground and jumped back to his feet, looking at the back of the man he had injured. The captain slowly turned around and pulled back his fist, the blade through his forearm and the hilt at his knuckles. He looked over at the boy, a long gash across his face with blood pooling down the lower half.

"You should have just died kid!" He ran forward with the strength of a charging bull as Naruto flipped over the man's charge, cutting a shallow cut through his shoulder. As the man continued to try and grab the agile boy, Naruto stayed on the man's right side and continued to slash at his open side. After a few minutes of close calls, Mordreau was breathing heavily from the loss of blood, buildup of pain and wounds.

He growled like an beast as he pulled the sword from his right arm, blood spurting out if his open wound like a fountain. He was unable to even use his right arm anymore but pulled the blade as far as he could and threw it at the boy. In retaliation, the boy gathered some Armor and tossed the broken blade at the other one, knocking it off course. But from a blind spot, the larger man came up to him and grabbed his shoulder, locking his right arm underneath and leaving him unable to hit the man.

"What now you little shit?! What do you do now!" Naruto just looked at the man evenly as he seemed to lose his mind at the idea of losing to him. He gathered up some magic into his right hand, enough that it started to glow with a faint white glow. He pointed to the man's chin, pondering a simple question.

Yeah. That was less than a second of space.

"Flying Gauntlet!"

The Damnation squad captain widened his eyes as he saw a ball of magical power close in on his chin. Desperate, he sent a fair amount of his remaining magic towards his chin and increased its durability with his Mass to keep him safe. He felt the impact similar to a brick hit his jaw, making his eyes go blurry and his head reel. The powerful ranged attack ended as he felt the magic blast come to a stop, his chin bruised and slightly bleeding. But nothing else. He actually chuckled, a slight sting going through his skull from the fresh pain. "Nice try kid. But it's o-"

He looked down to see the boy staring directly at his chest. With his left arm, covered in metal, chambered to his side in a fist. And a flare of his magic power building up in his fist. Before the older man could even react for a defense, the boy's fist had already impacted into his stomach.

"HA!"

Mordreau was lifted off his feet as the sounds of a loud thud rang through his ears. His eyes were swimming in his skull as he puked up his lunch and then some blood. His feet met ground again as he tried to take in some deep breathes, only wheezing in return. He lifted his left arm, aiming to crush the boy's head within his grip. But only met with a fading light.

The man fell onto the boy's shoulder, slowly leaning off his side and landing with a loud thud at the boy's side. Naruto stood there silently, taking in a deep breath before wiping some of his blood off his mouth and from his forehead. He looked up at the darkening sky as silence ran though his ears. He looked over his shoulder at the members of the independent guild he had defeated. Then down at the unconscious form of the man that he had barely won against. He realized that he had defeated all of them and let it wash over him. Before pulling his head back and screaming at the top of his lungs, his arms raised over his head.

"Yeeeeeaaaaahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!"

He leaned backwards and landed on his back. He lay in the dirt and took as many breaths as he could as he enjoyed his victory. He looked around at the battlefield of his first fight; all of the homes were reduced to rubble and dirt. Well, he was told that Fairy Tail members always made a mess. At least he fit the criteria.

Naruto sat back up as he winced from all the bruises and damage. His breath felt ragged and his chest was felt bruised from all of the collective hits he had received. But then laughed that at least he came out on top. He hefted himself on his knees and stood back up in the remains of the town and the bodies of his beaten foes.

He looked through the house that Saeko and Tohen had hidden him in. He pushed through some of the broken debris and piled rubble. He arrived at his make-shift sack of rations and food and found that it had been completely crushed. Naruto clicked his tongue and threw the ruined stuff on the ground as he looked towards the road he came in from.

He looked up at the sky as the sun was at least an hour away from setting. He didn't have any food or water, and there was definitely not going to be a cart coming by to take him to the next town any time soon. So he took the last option he had besides waiting.

He ran down the road. Towards the next town on his list that lead to Magnolia. Ignoring his aching limbs and bruised ribs, he was running on pure adrenaline. Excited that he had defeated a group of people that no one else thought he could. And now he was on his way to his new home. He smiled and laughed and he cheered as loud as he could. Running down the darkened path to the next stop home.

**########Hunter########**

"So you were ambushed and defeated by an unknown boy from out of nowhere? And you don't know his name or intentions? All you can identify him with is; Blond hair, Heterochromic eyes, whisker-like scar on his face and a metal prosthetic for his left arm. Great. Fucking perfect!" The brown-haired general of the squad shrieked as she came close to pulling out her hair. From a few feet away was her fellow General and Master, watching her discipline her followers. All of the members sitting in front of her, tending to their wounds and bruises.

"General. Please. Let us explain-"

"Let me explain it to you Mordreau! You fucked up! All of you lost to a little kid who probably still wets the fucking bed! Ah, I'm never going to live this down!"

"I won't let you!"

"Fuck you Uvo!"

Mordreau watched as he commanding officer had a heated argument with her fellow general. He tended to the multiple gashes along his right side, making it difficult to breathe. He also twitched every time he did, looking down at the massive black bruise centered on his chest. He looked between all of his team members as they all looked towards him as well, contemplating.

"Um, I-I have-"

"What? Speak up!"

Milt reached into his vest and pulled out the device he used earlier. "I was analyzing the boy we confronted earlier from any signals or statistics he was giving off." All three of the generals looked at him quietly as he fiddled with the device. "And, well, sir..." He looked up towards them as he held the device for them to see.

"I detected a foreign element of power in the child's system. The one you told us to look for in all of the potential people we meet. He was positive." Uvo and Mari looked at him in surprise as Sorrento pushed past them and walked to the younger man, causing him to cower in fear. He grabbed the device out of the man's hand and checked the system settings, making sure the lacrima device he invented was functioning properly.

"They're alive. They're still here. Those shadows. Hashirama's shadows are still in Fiore!" He almost shrieked like a child before calming himself and turning around, grabbing the man's collar and lifting him up. "Which way did he go?"

"Wh-what are you-"

"Where!"

"I don't know!" He tossed Milt to the side like a useless animal and screamed in frustration. He continued to have his panic attack while Mordreau seemed to finally realize something. That he didn't have to take orders from fools like these. He looked over to Cron as the man nodded and grasped the blade in his hand. The gold colored man jumped up and swung, aiming for Marika's exposed neck as he head flew off her shoulders.

Uvo and Sorrento looked over at the members of the 19th Squad as their comrade's head landed in their Master's arms. "That's it old man! We can't follow this crap anymore. From now on, we are taking control of this guild."

Alex looked as all the injured members stood back up, ignoring their wounds. He continued to toss the severed head in his hands as he just looked at them blandly. "I was provoked on my way here by some poor bandits. And now, I find out that the people I have been so obsessed with for decades now have just escaped from between my fingers. You really shouldn't provoke me."

"Sorry old man! But end of the line!" Cron held the sword over his head as he descended towards the old man. But just as he was a few inches from cutting him, he felt a strange sensation pass through his body. The remaining chunks of the man's body fell apart and dispersed as the blood was kept from touching the old man by his second General's sword. Uvo wiped the blood from his blade as he made sure there was nothing left of the man he cut.

"Wha-what the-" he turned to the resident analyst of their team. "Milt! What was that?" The man with glasses used his magic to check his surroundings and the remains of his teammate at their feet.

"Th-that was a sword cut! Uvo cut him to pi-" before he could finish his explanation, a hand pierced his chest and grabbed his heart. As the rest of their team watched in horror as a disembodied hand pulled out the man heart and crushed it in front of him. As he fell on his face dead, a female voice laughed from Sorrento's position. He held the head in front of him and showed the group the still moving head of Marika.

"Hahaha, that's so funny. You guys are a riot! You thought I wouldn't use my Break-Apart magic and dodge that!" Her headless body stood back up and dusted itself off, its right hand missing before it came back and attached to her right arm. Sorrento walked forward and tossed the head back to the body as he glared at Mordreau with anger and hate the younger gentleman had never felt in his whole life.

"This was a bad decision you made today Mordreau. And now, you will be punished."

The Mass man panicked and charged up his fist, ready to break the old man's body apart. When his right fist was coming close, Sorrento lazily threw up his left hand to intercept him. A shockwave occurred and the man's arm was broken and twisted in an inhuman fashion. Ignoring the pain, he tried again with his other fist. This time, Sorrento met him fist to fist and the resulting power struggle was so overwhelming, Mordreau's Humerus physically popped out his shoulder blade. Before he could react, Alex gather some shock waves into his fingers and aimed at the man's knee caps, blowing them apart into a bloody mess.

He was ready to continue, using even his broken body parts to try a beat the man to death. But then, he felt an invisible pressure strike down on him like a waterfall of ice. His breathing stopped and he started to sweat profusely. He felt so cold and so weak compared to this extension of the Master's will that he couldn't even try to fight back. The pressure began to take its toll on the twins as well as they fell to their knees, crying in fear about what was happening. Sorrento kept his cold gaze on the bleeding man as his magical pressure caused the ground and wood to splinter and blood to spurt out of of the former captain's open wounds.

As the captain of the squad fell to the devastated knees, covered in blood and unresponsive to the pain, he watched as a demon walked in front of him, looking down on him like he was an insect. "This is your punishment boy. For betraying my trust and the trust of your family. Learn from your mistakes as you burn in hell fire." A large ball of cascading shock waves and magic pressure appeared in his hand, rumbling as he brought it close to the unmoving man's head. It faded into his skull as Sorrento placed his hand on the top of his head.

"Shocker Bomb"

A large bang was heard as Mordreau's head exploded in a shower of blood and bone. Blood squirted out of his new apeture as the body twitched and fell to his feet. Sorrento just looked towards the ground, uncaring of the blood covering his face. He looked towards the twins as they were so scared they couldn't even move. He shook his head and walked away, deciding to keep them for further questioning.

"So, what now Jii-chan? Should we catch that shadow while we still can?"

"Yes Master, this maybe your only chance to do so?"

Sorrento shook his head and chuckled at their worry for his safe being. "Don't worry. I'll meet up with him when the time comes. I've been blessed with the gift of finding the shadow when the light had faded from other's eyes. Besides" he looked up at the sky. "We could still use him for that other plan we have in stock so there is no rush. Just leave him be and we will find him soon enough."

The two generals shrugged and headed for the car, each of them grabbing one of the twins for questioning as Sorrento continued to look up at the stars, laughing to himself. The gears of fate were moving in his favor after so long. As his time for retribution was close.

Oh, so close.

**########Hunter########**

**_Done_**

**_Alright! Second chapter in April! And you didn't think I could!_**

**_Are you psyched? Are ya? Because I can't wait to write the next chapter._**

**_Also, off topic, does anyone here watch Oreimo? I started watching it again and I actually forgot how funny it was. Especially when you realize that the people playing Gray, Wendy and Kagura are playing Kyousuke, Manami and Ayase respectively. Ha! Imagine Gray being a pervert while Wendy try's to be the voice of reason and Kagura threatens people with sharp weapons..._**

**_0-0_**

**_Anyway..._**

**_ReadxReview_**

**_Thanks and Goodbye_**

**_Next Chapter: In The Heart of The Grimoire_**


	10. In The Heart Of The Grimoire

Titania and The Hunter

Chapter 10: In The Heart Of The Grimoire

Disclaimer: Owned by respective parties.

Finally! Chapter 10 is here!

Also, so I can clear this up in the reviews, what happened when Naruto lost his arm was that Kurama's chakra was taking over in his weakened state and was pouring into his newly formed limb. Rob used the sealing metal to lock off that influence and keep it sealed. As long as that metal is around his arm, he can not assess Kurama's chakra. The amount of the 9 tails chakra in the arm is about several tails worth of power when he is at full strength. Naruto can still use his own chakra, but due to no one being able to teach him, he can only supply a basic coating of his hands and feet to strengthen punches and kicks.

I hope that clears up the confusion.

Also, One Piece Opening 16! Finally! And did you read the Fairy Tail chapter? That was fucking awesome! Go Natsu Go!

**########Hunter########**

In a mountainous region of Seven, an echo of destruction and the screams of desperation and fear rattled through the cold air. Beaten and bloodied men and women ran over the snow and rocks as their ragged breath was shown in the air. They continued to look over their shoulders hoping that they were safe from the demon like mages. But they didn't see as several dozen of the mages cut them off in the path and massacred them, leaving the dirt road crimson.

The third division general laughed manically as she ordered her dozens commanding teams to finish off the smugglers. She watched as the teams in control of the border of Seven mercilessly decimated the weak peddlers as they futilely tried to fight back. She stood their as a sword cut her back and sliced her in two. The two pieces stayed motionless for a second before fusing back together, terrifying the attacker she didn't even acknowledge. Marika stretched back and grabbed the man's neck, twisting and breaking it in several places before letting the body fall lifeless to the ground, joining the pile of twisted, broken and bruised corpses beneath her.

The brown-haired young women hopped to the front door of the destroyed hide out of the drug peddlers they had intercepted. She knocked on it several times with a closed fist. And then opened the fist of the severed arm she was holding and pushed the door open, whistling as she tossed the appendage around like a baton. She casually strode up to a spare chair next to her resting master. "Hey Jii-chan! You feeling alright?"

The elderly master raiser his head and looked to his cheerful, blood covered subordinate. "Yes, I'm quite fine Marika. Just a little tired from the traveling."

"Are you worried about that ninja kid?" The woman actually dropped her playful attitude and asked the old man with a hint of worry in her tone. She had heard his story and experience with the group and she knew what it had done to him. His paranoia and obsession was always bad. But now that they had concrete evidence that one of them was still alive...she couldn't help but worry about his state of mind.

"Him?" The man looked up and shook his head. "No...no, I think we still have many more things to worry about then a boy like that." He spread his hand through his snow-white hair as he lowly chuckled. "The time will come where we will meet that boy face-to-face, and when that time comes...an opportunity to begin anew will present itself. And I can't wait to finally see it."

She threw the arm over her shoulder and started to pat his back, making sure he knew they were there for him. The man turned his head to her and gave her a thankful smile at her gesture. As a comfortable silence came between them, the second division general ran in to report.

"Master! We've finished off the cartel. There won't be another group coming in like this for quite a while!"

"Good. That's good."

"Also sir, we sort of got a problem going on outside." Sorrento and Marika looked at each other before standing up and following Uvogin's lead. When they arrived outside, they saw several fully grown adult Wyvern's blocking the way to the 4-wheelers. The leader of the independent guild watched as several men tried to fight off the flying beasts with little to no result.

"We've apparently disturbed their feeding habitat and they are quite angry about it." Marika just shook her head in disappointment at the pathetic display her men were showing in fighting off the creatures. Her division was not doing to well this week. She might have to gather them up and teach them a few lessons.

"What should we do Master?" The younger generals watched as the elderly scarred man slowly walked forward until he was at the edge of the hill overlooking the scene. He slowly extended his hand out and covered his entire palm with Shock magic. He slowly panned his hand over the lizard figures as spheres of magic floated in the air. He then pointed in the general direction of the Wyvern and the balls all shot off like bullets.

The magic impacted the sides of the flying animals before expanding and blowing up, exploding at their sides and destroying their bodies. The creatures all fell to the ground dead as the subordinates looked up at the Master staring down at them. They all nervously started to pack up their belongings and place them in the vehicles as the leaders started to descend down the hill.

"Anything else you need to tell me before we start moving inland?"

"Yes sir. We just received this today." He handed his Master a newspaper from his back pocket as the bearded man took it and opened it up. He read the front page and subsequent information. He let out a heavy sigh and rubbed his brow as Marika looked over his shoulder, whistling at the headline.

"Damn they are scary! Makes me think we could actually have some fun with them!" The girl forgot the article and picked up the luggage to put in her vehicle as she looked towards her master. "So what should we do Jii-chan? Send out an order and have our guys hunt them down?"

"Nope." Alex ripped the papers to pieces before turning it to dust with his magic, the wind spreading away what was left in his hands. "I don't want any of our men interacting with them unless either of you are accompanying them. It would be too dangerous." He dusted off his hands as he walked towards his men.

"There is no need for a massacre. Not yet."

**#########Hunter########**

It was another peaceful day at the favorite guild of many mages' choices. The adults were all happily cheering and having their merrymaking times as they chugged down their drinks. Joking around and enjoying their lives to the fullest. And in front of the bar were the two rowdiest, most misbehaved members of the new generations group.

"I'm telling you I don't need my magic to take you down! I can just beat you down and you won't ever get back up!" The shirtless, black-haired young man yelled as a vein throbbed on his forehead.

"I'd like to see you try! You can't do anything with your fists or your magic! You couldn't even freeze a cold drink!" The scarf wearing, pink-haired young man said as his sharp teeth mashed together.

"That's it!" The two boys dove at each other, their fists back as far as possible to inflict the most damage. And just before they could, a red-head with armored arms smashed their heads into the wooden ground.

"Geez you two, don't you ever learn?" The scarlet haired girl just shook her head in disappointment at the boys' continued defiance of her expectations. "Do you think we like to see you guys fighting everyday? It gets on my nerves."

"B-but Erza, you fight just as much with Mira, right?"

"Y-yeah, why are you punishing us when you're just as bad?"

Natsu shut his mouth as he and Gray were lifted by their hair. They froze in fear as they were met with the heated glare of blue and brown eyes.

"What was that?"

"Nothing Erza-San!(x2)"

"That's what I thought." She dropped the boys with a loud thud as she walked back to her space at the table with her strawberry cake. The boy's continued to cower as Levy chuckled nervously and Cana just shook her head in disappointment.

From his space at the bar's top, Makarov smiled and laughed at his family's light hearted playing as he drank from his mug. He looked at the peaceful atmosphere that this early April weather and mood gave to his guild as they all enjoyed their lives. Even Natsu and Gray were up and about again. Granted they were still arguing about the most meaningless things but...well...one step at a time.

"Hey old man." The grey haired midget looked out of the corner of his eye at the tall, orange haired man that had walked up to his side. As usual, the man had his signature black cloak on with a bag still slung over his shoulder, just returning from his mission. "How's everything holding up?"

"Oh, not much to report. Since you left, I've received about 5 dozen pages of bills and royalties we have to pay to the magic council for damages to the properties. Speaking of which..." The old man leaned back underneath the bar and lifted up a hefty document of about 40-pages in his hands. He turned back around and handed it to the younger man. "These are yours. Great job on that by the way."

"Right. I'll get right in that." Suddenly, and with no conscious thought, Gildarts broke the paper down with his Crash magic and let it fall to the ground. "Oops. I seemed to have accidentally misplaced it."

"Good move. By the way, you didn't get injured or anything, right?" The tall man shook his head after looking over himself for any injuries. "Good. Porlyusica is going to be gone for the week so she can stock up on medical herbs and supplies. I've already told the kids to keep safe and to not make too much ruckus when they are out on a job. You know what happens when she comes back from vacation as she has to treat a restless child's wounds, right?"

"Oh no. I like where my balls are, thank you."

"Smart boy."

"Gildarts! Fight me!" A fire covered, pink centered blur jumped up to attack the older Mage.

"Got it kid. I'll fight with my full power." His absentmindedly flipped his wrist as they boy came in arm's length of the ace of Fairy Tail. As a result, the Dragon Slayer was sent flying into the scaffolding of the guild hall, bouncing around like a rubber ball before rocketing back down into the floor, leaving another imprint of his body by the one Erza made for him.

Makarov looked down at the spiraled eyed little boy as he raised an eyebrow. "He's still here? You must have held back quite a bit." Gildarts just shrugged his shoulders, attributing it to fatigue from the long mission. As most of the kids began to laugh at the poor boy as Lisanna started to worry and check him over, the man pulled a couple of papers from under his long cloak and handed them to the elderly man.

"Here." Makarov took the papers from his hand as he looked at the younger man with a silent question. "I think you should read that." The man just put down is ever present staff and flipped the newspaper open, skimming through the stories and propaganda. He arrived at what he could only guess was the story he was supposed to read about. He sigh and shook his head, scratching the cap covering his hair.

"Well that's unfortunate. I hate it when they publish articles like this." The old guild master detested when they publicly announced and commercialized tragedies like this. He believed that horrible events like this should be handled by the council and its people, and not to be used to cause paranoia in innocent civilians.

"What is it Master?" The two men flinched at the sudden entry into the conversation by the armored little knight. And her intrusion caused the other young mages to put their attention on their old grandpa. She lifted an eyebrow as if she was expecting an immediate answer from the nervous looking men.

"U-um..." Makarov suddenly ignited the newspaper in flames as the young children gawked at his actions. "It's nothing Erza. Nothing at all. Natsu~! You wanna treat? You wanna treat?"" He threw the burning papers up as the young boy just jumped up and gulped the fire down in one shot. The other children just looked at him disappointedly as he chewed up the leaflets, not noticing the looks before turning his head up at them.

"Whuh?"

Gildarts just shook his head as he chuckled at the childrens' antics. "Well I'm done for the day. I'll be heading home for now old man, see ya." He walked through a wall as the wood crumbled around him, uncaring of any obstacle in the straight path to his house. As he went further into town, you could hear the angry cries of the townspeople as he walked through their stores and houses. And following him...

"Gildarts! Rematch! I've eaten and I'm all fired up!"

"Go away!"

"No!"

"Leave me alone!"

"Never!"

As the old master just laughed off the boy's relentless efforts to beat the overpowered man, he missed the questioning look that Erza was giving him from the side. She couldn't help wonder what it was that got the master and the experienced Mage to conspire like that. But whatever it was, it couldn't be good.

**########Hunter########**

The young man continued to pant heavily as he ran as fast as he could down the beautiful and pristine marble hallways, the sight of boundless nature just to his side. He held the important file to his chest as the large and detailed doorway was in his sight. He came close to the doors as he caught his breath, looking around him to see if the other private in charge of the special information carry had arrived. "Damn. Damn. Where is he? Where is he?"

"Where is who?" The bespectacled boy squealed as he almost jumped out of his skin and fell on the floor. He grabbed his jumping heart as he glared at the cocky, black-haired boy laughing with a smug grin in his face.

"Tch, dammit Doranbalt, this is not the time to be playing games! Where in the world were you?"

"What? I was here the whole time. I don't know about your slow ass running but I've been here since I got my file." He flashed the black file in his hands as he laughed at the ticked off glare his fellow trainee was giving him. "You seriously need to work on the meaning of urgency, Lahar. If you like I could teach you some of my Teleportation magic."

"No thanks." The shoulder length, black haired boy dusted off his standard private uniform as he walked up to the doors to the council. He pushed them apart with both hands as his partner followed behind him, walking into the wide room of the council's meeting place. As they walked in, many of the distinguished members looking over at the boys.

"Private Lahar and Private Doranbalt, reporting for duty!" The two of them saluted to the older figures as they sat around the huge round table. One of the old members lowered their hand and motioned for them to ease.

"It's fine Lahar-kun, Doranbalt-kun. You arrived just in time." A kind looking old man wearing a brown-shirt with a three spiked hat over his large eyebrows.

"No it is not. If they wish to becomes competent members of the Rune Knights, they must practice punctuality and arrive when expected. They have been entrusted with an important task so they must give their best when we ask of them." A short man with cat-like ear-shaped hair in a striped blue shirt sternly said to the embarrassed young men.

As he was about to continue his accusation of the young soldiers, he was cut off by a young male voice laughing with glee as a soft, dainty giggle followed after.

"I find it quite funny that you are scrutinizing them for tardiness. And yet you are wasting even more of our 'precious' time by doing so." The cocky, blue-haired boy crossed his legs over each other as he put a fist to his chin. He opened his eyes to look at the elder mages as they all seemed to look at him with a slight glare. Behind his chair was a young teenaged girl with silky purple hair going to her back, wearing a white dress that went to her thighs with a yellow sash.

"He's right you know. Worry about training soldiers later and we can continue on with the matters at hand." The girl lifted her sleeve over her mouth as she giggled a little at the annoyed glare Michello was trying to level at them.

The two new recruits looked at the slightly hostile air around the council as the short haired boy leaned over to his fellow knight. "Um, who are those two?" Lahar sighed in disappointment as he looked at the other teenager with a blank look.

"Did you not listen to the orientation last month?" Doranbalt just matched his blank look as Lahar realized who he was talking to. "Those are the two newest members of the council. They are brilliant political tacticians that were able to resolve and settle fights and problems all over the country in just a few weeks. They were so good that they were offered the positions of council members at such young ages." He pointed to the blue haired boy with a strange tattoo over his right eye. "That's Siegrain-sama, a powerful Mage who is already being considered a candidate member for the Ten-Wizard Saints. And that's his assistant Ultear-sama, a woman with a huge supply of magic and a massive communications network across the nation."

"Oh wow."

"That's enough with the glares and grumbling!" All of the people in the room shut their mouths as the leader of the group, a bearded man with a bat on his head, yelled to shut them up. The council members all sat back down as he stood out of his chair as looked towards the boy with the red file in his hand. "Private Lahar, do you have any news to give us?"

"Oh, uh, yes sir." The bespectacled member of the couple started to flip through his file and look for the first order of business. "First on the list, we have the bills and damages caused by Fairy Tail in the last-"

"Please not that. Anything but that. I get enough of that news on a daily basis so just skip it for now." Lahar nodded as he complied with Org's request and flipped the page. And then the next one. And the next. The council looked anxious as the boy spent several long moments flipping through the huge stacks of papers revolving around the trouble-making guild. As the men and women just sighed tiredly, Ultear and Siegrain seemed to take it as a joke and laughed wholeheartedly as the boy finally arrived at an urgent piece of news.

"Yes-um-we have news on that mercenary guild that had appeared several weeks ago sir. The one owned by the heir of the Bunce family."

"Oh? What about it?"

"It appears that the leader of the group is going around, searching for the best swordsmen in the kingdom to make a part of his peerage. And he was gathering magical weapons of the highest grade to use to their advantage."

Org nodded his head. "Any reports?"

"Yes, we received a report from the Heartfilia family." He pulled out a written note from the folder and showed it to everyone in front of him. "He has received death threats over the last year from the heir of the former corporation. We believe his motives are most likely due to the fact that Jude Heartfilia bought out and put the Bunce family out of business. He ignored the threats until he received word that the man was creating a guild for the purpose of killing his family."

"Is it a truly plausible threat?"

"Well he is gathering enough swordsmen to be called the 44 Ronin, so he is undoubtedly recruiting strong members into the fray. Also sir..." He fixed his glasses as he looked at the council with a concerned look. "We received reports that the man was carrying a black sword with him, cutting his way through anything in front of him. So we believe that he is carrying...'that'." All the members seemed to tense up at the mention of the magical item in the unstable man's grasp.

"Well that is troubling. Put out a report to keep the Heartfilia family under protection of the council until these Ronin are put out of commission. Anything else to report?"

"Oh! On the matter of the Damnation guild, we have a development we need to look into." All of the people present bucked up at the mention of the infamous terrorist guild. "Last week, we received reports from a group of townspeople that had escaped from an attack from Damnation. They were civilians of the town of Acacia that were being held hostage by a group of the 3rd division lead by who we think maybe Mordreau 'The Scaler'."

"You think?"

"Yes sir. We couldn't be certain because...well...he was missing his head." The council members all cringed and gagged a little at the excessive way that the criminals were taken care of. "We also found the bodies of several of the groups members around the town, also deceased. We can't be certain but we obtained witness reports that believe that Alexander Sorrento vacated the area with his subordinates Marika and Uvogin. So it maybe that he disposed of the group himself so that he had no loose ends."

Org rubbed his temples as he contemplated the state of how a man as respectable as Colonel Sorrento could fall from such pristine admiration to this. He remembered a time where he was looked upon with eyes of wonder and respect by everyone in the kingdom. He was about to be honored with the position of Wizard Saint and forever looked upon as a symbol for children to fight for. But then...the Tonewa incident. And his fall into insanity. Showing that one horrible, devastating event can change a person for the rest of their lives.

Org opened his eyes when he realized something in the report. "Wait. How did the townspeople escape? They couldn't have fought them off, not when they couldn't even use magic."

"Well sir we believe there was some outside intervention. The townspeople gave us a description of a young Mage that appeared out of nowhere and held the group off long enough for them to escape." Lahar reached into the folder and pulled out a paper sketching of the mysterious samaritan. "He was described as 13 to 14 years old. He has blond hair and eyes with two distinctly different colored pigmentation. Blue in the left socket, Brown in the right. He was also seen wearing dark clothes and a gauntlet on his left arm. Also sir, they said he had scars on his face. Ones that look like whiskers."

The rough sketch of the young teenaged boy was passed around the table by all of the council members. When it reached the hands of the newest council member, he looked at it for several long seconds. He did very well in keeping his composure as he looked at the graphite picture of his old colleague. He chuckled a little at the new information of his friend's survival, handing it to Ultear as she was actually surprised.

"Are you saying that this boy may have been the one to kill the members of that group?"

"We can't be certain. But I believe we should put out a report to the guilds to search and capture this man if he is found. So that we can debrief him on the event." The council nodded at the teen's suggestion as Org started to make notes to send out to the guild masters. He then looked to the other recruit as he stood there silently.

"And what about you?" Instantly, the boy with the shaven hair appeared next to his side with the file out for the man to take. As Org took it from his hand, the boy then appeared by Lahar's side once again. The old council man skimmed through the black file as his eyes glazed over. He put closed the file and looked at all of his fellow council with a stern fire in his eyes.

"We must report this to every unit in the nation. Keep on full alert to report and capture these people. If they are found, they are to report straight to Era with any information they have received. We must keep watch of all possible strike zones and targets within a 100 mile radius of the last attack. And evacuate any civilians we can before they become casualties in the next attack. Go." The privates saluted and charged off to report the orders to the senior knights.

Stealthily, Ultear eyed the black file within the council leader's hand. "Sir, what is this about?"

"We have just received reports of a town int the mountains being destroyed to the ground. With every magical item and building being searched and destroyed. They have also appeared lately all around the country in search of something they need, and they have been using any method they could to reach their objectives. And being the founder and cornerstone of this so-called Balam Alliance in another reason we should be weary of this group."

"We must prepare for any and all conflict with this-"

**########Hunter########**

"...Grimoire Heart! I'm serious! These guys are making me wet my drawers. Making treaties with every dark guild in the nation! Attacking people in the thick of night! That's scary shit!" The wrinkled man in the horse drawn cart worried as he continued down the road towards the city. "Seriously, do you understand what that means kiddo? We could all be in danger and taken out in a second!" He looked behind him at the blond boy in the black shirt and white pants with black cloak sitting back comfortably in the hay with a worn out book in his hand, not paying any attention to the one-sided conversation.

"Huh-what?" The whiskered boy lowered the journal and looked up at the cab driver. "Oh, sorry old man. I wasn't listening. What were you saying?" He scratched the back of his head and laughed as the old man seemed to get ticked off.

"Ah! You never listen when I'm talking to you, ungrateful brat!" The old farmer grumbled as he continued to guide the cart towards the next stop. The traveling Mage he was escorting in his cart had appeared at his city's entrance two days ago. Saying that he wanted a transport to Yarrow and then to Magnolia which would be only a day's travel away. When the old farmer finally agreed, the boy had hugged the man until his spine seemed to make cracking noises. And here they were, on the riverside path to Yarrow.

"So what's so great about this city again? Something about magic?" Naruto put his chin on the bench atop the cart as he looked up at the cranky farmer.

"I told you kid, Yarrow is a city of magic and wonders." He emphasized the importance by waving his arms around frantically. "It's a city that specializes in the use and distribution of magic around the country. It's also known for being a popular center for health and self preservation."

Naruto tilted his head as he squinted his eyes. "What?"

"The town centers its use of magic by the river right there." He guided the boy's eyes towards the river by their side. "That river is so abundant with magic that it actually assimilates the magic into the foliage and herbs growing on its bank. People from all over come to Yarrow to gather those plants to make special medicines. They are so famous that even high-ranked doctors from all over Fiore come to gather the plants that come into the for- Are you listening!" The driver yelled to the boy who seemed to have taken a nap while he was explaining the town's history.

"Oh sorry. I didn't sleep last night. Too excited." Naruto laughed as he tried to contain his anxiousness. Which he failed to do because he kept jumping up and down in the back of the cart, prompting more annoyed complaints from the chauffeur. He was there. So close he could taste it.

"Well we are almost there anyway so just relax and then we can-" the cart made an abrupt stop as the two men looked on in shock. The town was burning. The many buildings and houses were covered in fire and smoke as there was echoes of screams reaching their ears.

The man was shaking as he gripped the ropes in his hands tightly. "Wh-what-what is this? How-how can this be-"

Boots connected with the ground as the boy walked past the horse driven cart. He petted the mane of the horse at his side as he looked out at the burning town. "Old man...turn this thing around and head home. Tell the authorities about this." Naruto lowered his hand and started walking towards the location before him.

"Wa-wait kid! You can't just-" he was silenced as Naruto turned around and looked at him with a piercing glare in his eyes. The two colors looked right at him as if inviting him to try and stop the boy from going off.

"Go."

The man did not hesitate as he started to pull the horses back and change directions to the town they had just come from. As the galloping of horses got further and further away, Naruto started walking towards the city and forest covered in flames.

And then, he ran straight forward.

**########Hunter########**

The dozens of guild members lowered their armada of weapons and started to pile back into the massive grounded black and red airship. Across the front of the ship and all of the mens' clothes was the insignia for a heart covered in thorns. All of the men were dressed differently with their own styles and quirks. But they were all dressed with a dark color and theme to follow their guild's example.

"Man~, why'd we have to come all the way out here just to destroy some stupid city?"

"You know already man! Without Ultear-sama leading the charges we all have to come together! The Master said so!"

"But why did we have to kill everyone again?"

"Because the key that Ultear-sama discovered could not be collected without sacrifices! We can't bring back a death Mage without using some death, can we?!"

"Man whatever! I just wish we could be done with all of this-" the members of the dark guild all stopped their musings as they heard the shuffling of stone and rubble. They watched as a woman, tattered and bloody pushed her way out of some debris. She stumbled a little and tried to gain her balance, shell shocked from the traumatic event. Only until she looked to her side to see the men who had suddenly attacked her town did she scream and try to run away.

"Shit. A survivor. What do we do?"

"We need to go after her, right? Who knows what the Master will do if we let someone leave from here?"

"I got it." A black haired member said as he chased the terrified girl slowly. All of the guild members were laughing as she tried her best to escape their clutches. The woman was crying, tears going down her face as she desperately tried to find a way to escape. She could feel the man coming closer to her as she couldn't find her feet and failed to run away.

The man unsheathed his sword as the woman tripped and feel down at his feet. She tried to crawl away as she whimpered and shrieked. The man lifted his sword over his head, the fires of the homes and trees only intensified the fear in the woman's heart.

The dark wizard was about to finish it off until he saw a shadow moving in the forest in front of him. He looked up in time to see a large figure in a black cloak jump up in front of him. The person spun around and back kicked the wizard, making him gasp and soar backwards several meters.

The guild members all watched silently as their fellow teammate skidded on the dirt for several feet before groaning and falling on his butt. They all looked from where he landed to where he came from. They all turned there heads towards a blond boy in a cloak and boots glaring at them.

Naruto turned his head over his shoulders at the terrified woman. And with a strong and steady tone...

"Run."

The woman wasted no time and scurried off as fast as she could through the forest. Naruto turned his head back to the surprised dark guild as he Requip one of the spiked bats he copied into his right hand. It took a moment before the mages realized what was happening.

"Attack!"

Naruto ran forward and dove under a sword swipe over his head. He beat the bat into the man and flipped him on top of two other men. Naruto dodged several spears and axes as he used the stolen bat to parry and disarm the men. When one of the blades came close to cutting him, he held up his left arm and defended against the swipe and destroyed the sword. As he stopped a large club from coming down on him, he tripped the large man and threw him over his head.

Naruto jumped back up to his feet as a dozen men tried to kill him but he easily dodged the amateurish swipes. As one of them yelled loudly and tried to cleave him, Naruto jumped over him and used his back as a spring board. He used a Flying Gauntlet on the bending man and sent him crashing into the ground with a painful thud.

As the whiskered boy landed to the ground, the members of Grimoire Heart started to utilize their magic, screaming loudly as they tried to frighten the boy long enough to end him. Naruto was not hindered by their attempts as he calmly and swiftly evaded all of their attacks. When he backflipped and attacked the men surrounding him, he saw a fire Mage at the side gathering his magic in his palm.

"Fire Shot"

The fire based attack flew straight into Naruto and he was covered in a cloud of smoke. The Mage looked on in amusement believing had killed the intruding child.

His eyes widened when he saw the boy with his metal arm stretched out, smoke coming off the palm where he had stopped the attack effortlessly. No mark or even a speck of dust on the boy's clothes. He lowered his hand and smirked at the surprised mages.

"Please."

**#########Hunter########**

"Soooo, I take it you found another one of those keys on your little treasure hunt. Was it difficult?"

"Not necessarily." The old, bearded man said as he fiddled with his newest discovery on his way to making his dream a reality. The key in his hand was glowing faintly as he turned it around in his hand, illuminated by the light of the viewing lacrima behind him. He opened up a case in the room and placed it next to three other identical keys. And then carefully closed the latches to keep them safe. "It's just important that we get moving before the council catches wind of our next move. We may have to go into hiding for a short time."

"Well if they send any forces against you, I doubt they'll be able stand up to you. Now that you've got that new eye." The black bearded man mused as he played with some of his paper dolls on the other side of the magical device.

"I wouldn't put too much trust in this thing just yet. I only just got it implanted and Tartaros told me that it isn't even at half it's full power. Something about obsolete technology and more time needed to create a more powerful apparatus for the magic. Plus I'm still weak after the surgery." The tall man with the white beard lightly touched the bandages wrapped around his right eye. He turned to the man talking inside the lacrima from his disclosed location. "But I must thank you Ivan. Without your contribution of lacrima, I wouldn't have been able to start this little project of mine."

"It is my pleasure Hades-San. Although I do ask that I receive my payment for this little favor of yours." The former Fairy Tail Mage said as he looked at the guild master with expectation. "That information you promised me about Fairy Tail's 'weakness'."

"In good time Ivan." The man looked back at the fellow Fairy Mage with an unflinching gaze. "I shall deliver to you what you want after I have gained the full power of this system." From underneath the bandage, a red light shined dimly. "Until then, we shall-"

The doors to the dark room opened up as a guild member barge in panting. "Ha-Hades-sama, we have a problem!"

The old Mage groaned as he rubbed the bridge of his nose. "I'll call you back Ivan." He discontinued the communication as he looked at his subordinate. "So, what's wrong now?"

**########Hunter########**

Naruto hook kicked another assailant across the face as he fell to the ground. All around the boy were unconscious Heart members, spaced out and drooling from the bad beating they received from the boy. Some of the were kicked so hard in the head their eyes were swirling. Some of them so badly hit in the chest that they were finding it difficult to breathe.

Naruto was surprisingly calm in the face of all the soldiers surrounding him. A scratch across his cheek that barely drew any blood. And some scuffed marks on his pants and shirt. The worst injury in his opinion would be that someone had cut off a corner of his favorite cloak. He had this thing since Hargeon, god dammit!

He was not deterred by the fact that there were still so many soldiers out for his blood. In his professional opinion, none of these guys had the skills or mindset to go for his throat. In comparison, Mordreau and his group from Damnation were far more terrifying and bloodthirsty. These guys were just grub soldiers, used to thicken the herd and make more frightening on the cover. He doubted there were any people in this guild that actually had trained extensively in one magic instead of gaining one and using it on innocent people.

So even though there were tons of them, he believed that he could power through.

"Hey man, what the hell are you?!" One of the nameless guys said from in front of him. "Why'd ya come here?"

"Does it matter?"

"Of course it matters! This doesn't concern you!"

"What concerns me is that there are people like you taking the lives of so many people." Naruto looked through the corner of his eye at the multitude of dead bodies hidden in the rubble and houses. "And I'm here to stop you from doing anything more."

"Stop us! You are seriously going to stop us! Everyone here?" One of the men stepped out from the masses as he motioned to all of the fellow group around him. "You think you stand a chance?"

"Yes. I do. Because you guys don't have the guts to take the consequences of what you've done. So I'm here to teach you all what happens when you kill like this!" He flared his magic power as much as he could, covering his whole body in a light as the ground around him rumbled. "Who's first! I'll make everyone here pay for what you have done!"

The guild bucked up and gripped their weapons tightly, aiming at the angered boy. But before they made a move, they all stopped. Looking at the boy in horror and dread. They all backed up and were shaking in fear. Naruto looked at the retreating men questioningly as he seemed to calm down. "Well, I'm not letting you off the hook yet."

"Then I guess I'll be first."

Naruto flinched as he realized that the new voice was coming directly behind him. He then noticed that the figure behind him had an immense magical pressure coming off of him unconsciously. He would have punished himself for not noticing this impossible presence if he wasn't so frozen in fear. He found it hard to even breathe as he mechanically turned his head to look up over his shoulder.

The man looked down at him from his massive size, a little shorter then Mordreau but infinitely more terrifying. He had on a large black cape that attached to a mantle on his shoulders and reached all the way down to his ankles. He had long white hair with a matching mustache and beard that went down to his waist. He wore a dark red shirt and and brown pants. But what Naruto noticed almost immediately was the fact that the very old man had some kind of bandage wrapped around his right eye and forehead. Naruto was reminded of the bandaged man that had used him as a weapon back in his earlier life. But the eye that wasn't covered was looking down on him, like how a mammoth would notice an ant that had moved in front of his path. Naruto tried to breathe as he found the air around him as cold as ice and even heavier to move in. Then, the man seemed to move his mouth, saying words that Naruto wasn't able to comprehend until he was brought back into focus.

"Don't I know you?"

Immediately, Naruto jumped as far and as fast as he could away from the frightening old man. He landed in a crouching stance, his arms and legs bent as close to the ground as he could. His breath was ragged and fast as the boy tried to calm his rapidly spiking heart rate. Naruto's eyes were jetting from one side of his vision to the other, trying to find a route he could escape in with the most blood still in his body. He never would have considered that as an option against those guys from the tower, or even Damnation. Hell, he was still afraid of that bastard Danzo but he would do his best to beat the wrinkly fuck into the dirt. But this guy...he was...

Worse then anything he had ever met before.

"Honestly, I think I've met you somewhere before?" The man rubbed his chin as if in deep thought as he tried to contemplate where he had seen this blond boy before. "You weren't on that cruise around Akane Beach last year were you? You know, where they ran out of shrimp and had to fish for more food and they caught that shark instead?" He looked at the boy as his expression of concentrated fear and fury was still completely focused on the old man. "I guess not." He looked around at all of his unconscious guild members and the ones that were still watching the conflict play out. And then finally, at the boy crouching down like an animal on the prowl.

"So, what can I do for you?"

Out of pure instinct, Naruto used all of his strength to propel himself forward at the man. He obviously caught him by surprise as the cape-clad man had a look of shock all over his face. He barreled his left shoulder in the man's broad chest, earning a painful grunt from the elder. Flowing through it, Naruto sent as much Armor as he could into his arms as bashed the head of the bat so hard into the man's stomach that he was lifted off his feet.

Naruto turned around and used the bat to throw the man over his head, gritting his teeth as he put his focus only on the man in the bandage. Using as much Armor as he could, he ran forward to match the speed the man was barreling off the floor. Jumping behind him, he reeled back assured the spiked end of the weapon to bash into the bandaged blond spot of the man's side. The man yelled in pain as he was sent in another direction by the force of the attack.

Finally, he stopped bouncing and laid on the floor. He lifted his head only to see the boy looking down at him with pure contempt as he pulled back his right fist covered in glowing light. He punched the man in the face as hard as he could as he pushed down with all of his force.

"Flying Gauntlet!"

The man's head was pushed even further into the ground as Naruto jumped back, watching the dust settle around the unmoving man. The rest of the guild looked on in shock as the boy took deep breathes and glared at the guild master. He seemed to calm down as some tense moments passed, no indications that the man was still conscious or alive.

"Well, that was surprising." Naruto's eyes widened in shock as the man sat back up out if the man shaped dent in the ground. He pulled the notch out of his neck as he seemed to think the boy's barrage was nothing more than a little nuisance. Barely a scratch of bruise on the man's body or face.

_'What the hell?'_

Naruto was shaking. No one he had fought before would have gotten out of that unharmed. Hell, even Mordreau would have felt a pain go through his body. But this man...this wrinkled old, white haired man, barely took any damage. He watched in worry as the man just stood back up with no injury or pain evident in his move. He looked at Naruto with an almost uncaring gleam in his eye.

"That was actually quite impressive. No wonder none of my men could face you, you overpower them before they get a chance." He dusted off a speck on his custom cape as if he was having a casual conversation. "What kind of magic was that? That must have been Requip you were using to get that weapon you were using but that other one was quite surprising. A proportional ratio of magic to the increase of power in your attacks, right? That's interesting." He chuckled as he invited the boy to try again. "Come."

Naruto felt an unknown feeling of distaste well up in his chest when he looked at the man before him. And hearing him invite to attack only angered the boy more. He bent down and jumped up in front of the man, summoning the other bat into his hand as he dual-wielded.

He axe kicked the man as he just blocked with the back of his arm. Naruto flipped off the extended limb as he landed on his feet again, right in front of the man's open chest. He started to swipe the bats as fast and hard as he could at the man. But he only evaded and dodged with the most minimal effort. Naruto got angry as he tried to beat the man into a pulp.

He jumped up and started to send a flurry of Armored kicks to the man's chest. As Naruto was suspended up from the continued contact against the man's chest, the man was stumbling back with every hit the boy made. As he made the last kick, he looped his leg over his shoulder to keep him locked in place. He lifted his bats up above his head and aimed to smash the man's head in between the spikes.

With an unworried movement, he punched the blond as hard as he could in the chest. Naruto's eyes widened as he spit up copious amounts of blood, splashing against the old mage's face. Hades pulled back his fist and sent an even faster punch in the same spot, sending the boy flying into the dirt. Naruto rolled on the floor several times, dropping the bats from his hands as he finally stopped.

The dirtied boy tried to lift his head but found it increasingly difficult, coughing up blood from the insanely powerful attack. He looked up to see the man slowly walk over to him, crushing the bats like old cans underneath his feet. The man stopped in front of him with a smirk across his face.

"Seriously, I want to see the extent of your power. I have another guild member about your age, you know. She is quite strong as well. I believe that if you two were to fight, it would be a spectacular fight. But she would still win, if only by a small margin."

"Wh-who are you?"

"I'm the guild master of Grimoire Heart. But that is nothing you need to concern yourself with boy. I'm more interested in you. Who might you be?"

"I-I'm the guy who has to take you down!" Naruto pushed off on his hands and stood up on his shaky knees to glare at the man with all of his fury.

"Why would you worry yourself with that?"

"Because I know people like you! I've known monsters like you that just take the lives of others like they were flies!"

"They are just flies."

"They aren't! They are people! They want to live their lives and you just come and end it! Like it was nothing!"

"It is nothing. I can take the lives of these people because they are nothing but blind sheep before my eyes. Living their useless, dreamless lives like a well oiled machine. I'm taking their lives and giving them a purpose. A means to which they can finally be of use to this world. For a greater cause."

Naruto's eyes widened at that man's last statement. He looked at the tall man as an image was superimposed on him. To Naruto, it was like seeing this man and Danzō standing side to side, spewing the same old bullshit about greater causes and purpose of taking the lives of others. Naruto mashed his teeth as he was seething with anger.

"You bastard! How! How can you say that so easily? Like it doesn't concern you? Doesn't it mean anything to you? The lives you taken? The people you've killed!"

"Does it mean something to you?" Naruto looked at Hades, shocked at the calm reply he gave the injured boy. "I can see it in your eyes. The look of someone who has had their hands drenched in the blood of another. Or at least have witnessed it enough to not seem too traumatized by it anymore. Am I right?"

"N-no! No, I'm-"

"Don't even think you can lie to me child. I can see it with this eye." He motioned to the eye wrapped inside the bandages. "That arm under the reformation metal, it is tainted with the power of the devil. I can feel it swell up inside you. The evil. The hate. The envy and greed. The pain. Your entire arm is drenched in it. So much so that it has become deformed and dangerous, correct?"

Naruto shook in fear as he grabbed the forearm of his prosthetic covering. Feeling a horrible pain but eerie truth in the man's words.

"You're not even a whole human anymore, are you? You've taken so many lives that you are trying to make up for it now. Protecting whoever you can against the people out their who still follow the path you once took. And it is admirable what you are doing. And it is going quite well too..."

"But not for long."

Hades would be lying if he said he wasn't getting a strange satisfaction from seeing how badly he was affecting this boy's thinking with his words. "You can fight that impulse for as long as you want. Stray away from it. Ignore it. Imagine that it never existed in the first place. But one day, when the people you tried to help are dead at your feet and you are drenched in their blood...you'll snap. And you will kill everyone around you. Be they friend or foe. Most likely with that very hand."

Naruto had a sense of unrivaled horror build up in his chest. Would that actually happen? He remembered that hate and power he gained from childhood whenever his temper was so wild he couldn't control himself anymore. Would that happen again? Would he kill for no good reason again. Like what Danzō made him do?

If he did, who would die? Jellal? Milli-chan? Everyone in Fairy Tail?

Erza?

The boy spaced out as this fear washed over him. Hades smiled and reached out his hand to the boy shaking in front of him.

"Join me."

Naruto looked up to the still hand and calmly smiling face of the man his was trying to incapacitate just a moment ago. "If you come with me, I can give you a purpose. A goal that best suits your interests. A reason that backs up your strength, that will let you stop hindering yourself and just run wild. And in return, we can make a new world. One that shall not ostracize you for your past or what you have become."

"If you leave here, you will be a time bomb. Waiting for the moment where your instincts take over and make you an animal. But if you come with me, I can give you a whole new world."

"What do you say?"

Hades looked at the stunned blond, his eyes so wide the could almost slip out his skull and his mouth failing to find the right words. The boy seemed to contemplate something for a moment before slowly walking up to the older man and stopping in front of him. Naruto lifted his right hand and moved it close to Hades' outstretched one. The man smiled as he had just gained a young and powerful ally.

Naruto growled and jumped up, aiming to clock the man in the face with his right fist. Naruto made contact but realized that the old man had put his left hand between his cheek and the boy's fist. As he lowered Naruto to the ground, getting a hiss in reply as he felt the old man start crushing his fist, Naruto glared at the man with fire blazing in his eyes.

"I will never join you!"

Hades looked down at the angry child in the black cloak as he glared at him with full contempt. The old guild master then realized where he had seen the boy before, as his glaring demeanor matched the photos he had in the file. He nodded his head as he remembered who this child was. "Well that's unfortunate."

Hades pulled the hand that was going to make the treaty into a fist and punched the boy in the face with his full power, aiming to make it concave. But in return, Hades realized that the boy was using his reformed left arm to block his attack, not losing an inch as the man put more power into his attack. Hades nodded in surprise, "Impressive."

Naruto swiped his hands and got them out of the gridlock they were in just a moment ago. The boy then engaged the man in close combat, swiping his elbow at Hades' knee and trying to cripple him.

But Hades easily maneuvered around the attempt and spun around, his fists to his side. As he came full circle, he started to unload a series of powerful but quick jabs at the child's center, only being blocked by the boy's failing attempt to guard himself with his bruising arms. As the toll from the punches were already taking toll, the boy's arms appearing blacker and more bruised each second, Naruto decided to match his ferocity.

When Hades went to punch him again, his fist was met with the boy's left fist, keeping the two at a standstill. As Hades tried to overpower Naruto's attempt to lock his strike he had to admit that the boy was very resourceful and tenacious. Naruto pushed the fist back and covered his entire body in Armor, trying to make himself at least strong enough to come close to his left fist.

Naruto then returned the barrage, aiming for the man's stomach and pushing him back a few steps in the process. As Naruto finally broke through with his attacks, he started to punch the man in the gut repeatedly, getting a painful grunt with everyone that had made contact. With his last attack, he caused the old man to double over from the force to his gullet. He then grabbed the old bastard by his hair and back and threw him as far as he could, soaring several meters over the heads of any guild members who were still outside watching the fight.

Naruto watched with baited breath as the man laid on his back for several tense seconds. He then huffed himself back up to his feet and dusted himself off like always. Naruto groaned and readied his fighting stance in the old man's direction, watching for any subtle movements he made. All he got was a smirk and a pointed finger at his feet. When Naruto finally realized that there was something attached to his feet, he was already being lifted off.

"Chain Magic"

Naruto was lifted high over the man's head, and then brought straight down into the dirt. As the blond Mage gasped for air, he was being twirled around by the man, laughing as he pulled the boy around like a ball on a string. Naruto was sent crashing through the burning houses, standing trees, gathered rubble and was held underneath the river for several seconds before he was smashed into the ground again.

Hades smiled at the boy on the ground who tried to take a breath with his shaking form, blood dripping down his forehead and mouth. The experienced Mage decided to be merciful and end the boy's suffering right then, considering it to be humane. He aimed his finger at a large rock over his shoulder and grasped it with Chain Magic. When the stone was caught, he then hefted it over his head and brought it down quickly, aiming for the blond's injured form.

Just as the boulder was about to crush Naruto, he lifted his left arm over his head and met the careening rock on its way down. Whether from the ground or by the boy's own hand, the rock exploded and covered the area with dust. Hades called back his Chains and walked over to the unmoving form of the dirtied boy. He silently stood there as he looked down at the beaten child, smirking to himself as he couldn't see any signs of breathing or movement from him.

Suddenly, the boy jumped up and summoned one of his two signature swords, the broad one with the two-sided blade. He caught the man off guard as Hades looked at him surprised, watching as the boy unsheathed the Excalibur and aimed to cleave the man's head in two. Naruto made the full swipe and caused the man to stumble slightly, hiding his face from the panting and sweaty child. Naruto waited and watched, focusing his blurry eyes on the man's figure as he prayed that he got a decent hit on him.

Hades stood back up properly, turning back around and looking at the boy. There was a thin cut from the bridge of his nose to the right top of his forehead. The bandages around his head were cut and limply hanging from around his skull. Naruto looked on in shock as the extent of his surprise attack was nothing more then a cut rag and enough blood to fill a quarter of a thimble.

Hades calmly lifted his hand and wiped up the thin cut on his face, taking the slight loss of blood with him. He rubbed the red liquid in his fingers for a moment before chuckling a little and looking at the boy evenly. "That's was quite a nice ambush you made. If I were anyone else my head would probably be rolling across the floor this very instant. But unfortunately for you, I can see everything."

Naruto just breathed out and held the Excalibur in both hands, aimed at the man standing calmly in front of him as he seemed to think through a tough decision. "But I feel like you deserve a reward for coming this far. I can't let you go...he won't join me..." Hades continued to think through his options before snapping his fingers like he had an epiphany.

"I know." Naruto watched patiently as the man grabbed the bandage wrapping around his head and started to slowly unwrap it. Naruto prepared to slash the geezer's arms until he felt a strange presence start to appear around him. Naruto tried to keep his footing as the mysterious power continued to skyrocket, bypassing any power he could even imagine. Reaching almost to Kurama's level of power. As Hades finished unwrapping the bandage from around his head, "Well, you should be honored child..."

**"You shall be the first to experience the power of the Devil's Heart."**

**########Hunter########**

Inside the hallways of the stagnant airship, all of the dark guild members were running around frantically as they prepared for the ship to take off. All they needed was their master to return as soon as he finished off the child and they would be off.

"Seriously man! Where the hell did that kid come from? He just popped up out of nowhere and and started kicking our asses!"

"I don't know! But hopefully Hades-sama will be able to take care of him!"

"You don't think he can?"

"I can't say! That kid is really tough and young and Master Hades is older than a mummy! So maybe he could-" before the guild member could continue his pessimistic sentence, a loud banging and whirring sound ran out through the ship.

"What the hell is that?" Almost every member that could spare their time ran towards the source of that mysterious sound in their ship. When they came close, hundreds of members were trying to push their way up front to look inside the room with the eerie purple glow.

Inside the room was a large container of liquid with a strange object inside of it. The silhouette was beating as the machinery it was hooked up to started to activate, creating a vast amount of power to build up in front of their eyes. The light shined even brighter, showing a plaque underneath the glass that showed the words; **Grimoire Heart**.

"You were worrying about something? There's your answer! Experiments and trials forms run by Brain-sama. Technology and operations ran by the best members of Tartaros. The best machinery and assessable forms of magic lacrima provided by Ivan-sama to create the most powerful magic system next to the council's Etherion. And at the center of it all, our master's own beating heart. The Devil Heart power system."

The members of the guild all laughed as their was absolutely no chance for the boy to escape alive now.

**########Hunter########**

Naruto was speechless. His mouth was agape as he tried to figure out his next plan of action. He tried to run, either at the man or away from him, but found that his legs had become useless. Frozen in fear at the sight before him.

The old man was looking squarely at him, a coy smile on his face as he easily figured that the boy was immobilized. His beard and mustache were sharper and slightly floating from the excess of power. The right eye he had revealed to the boy was black with a glowing red center, aiming to gut the young Mage like a fish. But the most terrifying thing was the immense spike in the man's already impressive magic. The longer he stood there, the colder and darker the power got, frightening the whiskered Mage like nothing he had experienced before.

The man lifted the hand holding the used bandages and laughed, dropping them to the floor. **"I could have shown you so much. The true existence and extent of what your magic could do. Power and strength that no one else could even begin to comprehend. And at the end of it all, a world made for us, where you could have changed everything for yourself. Oh well."**

The man bent over and picked up a small rock by his foot. He juggled it in his hand as he looked at the boy fondly. **"Do you know what this eye can grant me? What I can do in this world?"** The boy tensed as the man held the stone firmly in his grasp. **"Anything."**

A strange black substance started to exude itself from the stone. It bent and changed form as it grew in size and stature. Naruto watched bewildered as the strange magic changed into an odd type of humanoid form. A creature that was bouncing around and was about as tall as Hades' navel, only slightly taller then Naruto.

Hades looked at the creature as if he made some type of mistake in the process. He then noticed that little blood drops were dripping at his feet. He lifted a hand to the demonic eye and touched it, pulling back to see that there was blood seeping out of his eye socket.** "Tch, I should have known it was too soon to be using this for Demon Summoning. I can't even do it right. Oh well. You."** The demon stopped playing with its nonexistent toes as he looked up at its new creator.

**"Kill him."**

The demon looked away from Hades to the boy that held the sword out in front of him. Then it looked back at Hades. Then at Naruto. It continued this for a few seconds until it nodded its neck-less head and moved up to its feet. It looked at Naruto for several moments before disappearing in a blur.

Before Naruto could even react, the demon barreled itself head first into the cloaked boy's stomach. Naruto's eyes widened as he spit up blood, flying back from the attack super fast as he hit a broken house. As Naruto tried to lift himself up, he was already being intercepted by the demon barraging his downed form with animalistic punches.

Naruto guarded against as many punches as he could with his arms and swords. But even then, the demon's barrage was seeping through and he would get punched in the face or gut every few moments. As Naruto tried to push the monster back, it seemed to focus on only destroying him by any means necessary.

As the demon pulled back for another attack, Naruto took this chance to stab it clean through the head with Excalibur. The creature let out some type of painful shrieking noise as it took several steps back, long enough for Naruto to jump back to his feet and punch the creature across where its face was supposed to be. As the demon stumbled back, it got its balance back and slowly pulled the sword out of the hole in its face. It held the sword up in front of Naruto as it slowly bent and broke it.

Naruto growled and ran forward, their fists crossed over each other as they continued to punch the other one into submission. When Naruto was hit with a cross jab, he returned it with back fist to its face. And when Naruto elbowed the creature over the head, it spun around and hit him where he was vulnerable in the chest. They continued this little back and forth punching for three minutes until Naruto found an opportunity he couldn't miss.

As the demon was pulling back for a wide hook, Naruto dug his fingers facing out into the open slit in its head. As the creature was stunned, Naruto pushed with all his strength to dig his other hand in right next to the first one. Hades watched with an intrigued eye as he saw the boy yell as loudly as he could as the demon screamed in agony. Naruto pushed with all of his enhanced strength and ripped the demon in two.

The former Jinchūriki weapon breathed in deeply as he held the two separated pieces of the demon's body in each hand. He slowly lifted his head and glared at Hades with cold and vicious eyes. Hades actually clapped at the boy's efforts to fight against the summoned monster. Even if it was a low-class summoned demon, the boy ripped a demon in half! That deserved praise.

**"Very good. Very, very good. Perhaps I have misjudged you. Or...maybe it just took a stronger demon to kill a little one?"**

Naruto yelled as he crushed the halved demon body, returning it into pure magic as he ran forward at Hades, head-to-toe in Armor. As he ran as fast as he could, shortening the gap every second as he came close to the insanely powerful man, Hades lazily lifted his hand out from underneath his cape and pointed two fingers at Naruto. As Naruto was just over ten feet away from him, he channeled all of the Armor around his body into his left fist, planning to hit the man with all of his power.

"Flying Gaun-"

**"Bang!"**

A small ball of magic left Hades' finger tips at impossible speeds, hitting Naruto in his reformed arm and pushing it back. As the magic dispersed from around his hand, the boy was shocked as he stumbled from the change in power. Hades moved his fingers slightly and aimed again.

**"Bang!"**

This time, Naruto was hit in his kneecap, losing his speed and stumbling past the man he tried to attack. He spent a second gripping his leg in pain and checking for what had happened. He saw that there was a slight puncture wound and some blood dripping from where he was hit in the knee. The boy slowly looked over his shoulder at the man that did not even acknowledge his existence. He took a moment to breathe, then spun around to smash the back of the man's head.

**"Bang!"**

Another bullet shot through his shoulder, causing the boy to scream in pain as he clutch his aching arm. He looked up to see the man had already turned around and shot him faster then he could turn to attack. Naruto put as much strength as he could into his-

**"Bang!"**

He fell to his knees again as he was hit in the stomach. He tried to lift himself off on his-

**"Bang!"**

He slipped from where his left arm was shot from below him. Every move or attack Naruto tried to make, the bearded master was already there with a bullet aiming where he was going. As Naruto sat on his knees looking up at the man, he aimed both his hands at the whiskered boy.

**"Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang, bang! Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang!"**

Naruto was hit across his entire body. His chest. His arms. His legs. His head. His feet. His stomach. His lungs. His hips. His knees. Anywhere that was visible was open to punishment from the old man's magic. Naruto's body flailed around violently on the floor as Hades continued to attack the boy relentlessly, laughing like a hyena as the boy screamed in bloody agony.

Hades stopped the flow of magic in his fingers, taking a breath as he looked at his handy work. There were bloody spots and bruises all over the child's young body. His clothes were filled with holes where the bullets pierced his form. The boy was breathing irregularly as he tried to move any part of his body, opening his half-lidded eyes as he watched the old man look down at him.

**"I've had my fun now boy. Now, I shall give you a choice of how you wish to end this. I could snap your neck and make it quick? Or... You can keep fighting this useless battle and we can see you try to cling to the last little shred of your life? Your choice?"**

Naruto gripped the dirt underneath his hand as he tried to pull himself up. He then looked towards the forest and pushed off with his left hand, getting enough air to stumble before weakly running into the fire scarred forest. Hades sighed tiredly as he rubbed the bridge of his nose, shaking his head before chuckling lightly. He had to admit it...

This child was actually kind of fun.

Hades watched silently, letting the cold air from around the town blow his cape around as he waited for a sign of the boy's struggle. The flickering of one side of the forest still burning as some smoke rose up in the sky. He waited patiently until he heard a swishing sound in his ear. He turned around to intercept the attack until he felt a pebble touch his head.

Hades felt rocks continue to hit his blind spots as the boy hid in the shadows of the burnt trees. He was using his cloak as a cover in the blackened wood as he tried to divert the wizened man's attention as he looked for an opportunity. It was actually quite impressive. Like a hunter trying to slow down his prey, waiting for the right moment to end this.

Hades breathed in silently, waiting for the moment that the blond menace would reveal himself. Hades quietly moved his index finger in a formation, a stream of black magic following wherever he told it to. When Hades noticed a flurry in the shadows of the fire, he pointed his in that direction and said quietly...

**"Amaterasu: Formula 25"**

In an instant, Naruto was surrounded by black and purple runes covering his entire field of vision. The symbols were rotating around him like planets to the sun. He could find no way to escape the massive area of effect around him so he did what he had done best.

Braced himself.

***BOOM***

**########Hunter########**

From a spot several miles away from the destroyed city and dark guild ship, a woman was quietly looking through the trees and bushes for the plants she was searching for. She usually didn't have to supply herself with so much, but ever since that pink and black-haired brats joined, that red-haired brat was sending them packing to her home almost every other day. And especially after some stupid incident involving cake and a new brat joining the guild when she had to heal every single person for some stupid injuries.

Needless to say, it was definitely not worth it to come unprepared.

She suddenly felt a low rumble pass through her section of the forest, scaring the deers and birds around her to run away. She jumped up and calmed the horse carrying her carriage with an apple from her pocket, petting its mane and settling its worry.

She looked up into the sky, seeing a cloud of dust and smoke rise up in the distance. She decided that she needed to get moving, before this commotion came her way.

**#########Hunter########**

A massive blast of magic and air shook the very ground around him. The resulting wave of power caused the trees to bend and break, extinguishing the fires that were once burning. The ship creaked from the force of the blast and the river rippled and crashed.

Several members of the dark guild ran down the steps from the ship, looking out at the commotion outside. They all saw Hades standing there calmly as the wind pressure caused his cape to flap madly. The men all covered there eyes as to keep themselves steady from the air pressure. "Master Hades, wh-what's going on?"

**"Don't worry. This battle is over."** The cloud of smoke finally dispersed as they all saw a massive blast radius shown clearly by the amount of broken trees and burnt wood around the center. At the edge of the effect area, a motionless body laid on his face, unfazed by what was happening around him. His cloak and shirt were gone, burnt and blasted away from the sheer force of the blast. His boots were only ripped rags on his feet as his long pants were reduced to burnt shorts. His skin was smoking and red from the intensity of the attack.

The guild members all looked on in shock as they saw the boy they had such a difficult time dealing with so easily killed by their guild master. The men all looked between each other and laughed, taking this chance to rough up the remains of the bastard child. They started heading his way with their weapons at the ready.

**"Wait."**

The men stopped at the command from their leader as he had no change in his expression. **"He is still alive."** All of the lesser wizards gaped in shock at his proclamation as they looked at the body of the blond beaten boy. Although very subtle, and almost completely unnoticeable, they could see very tiny movements in his chest as he took very faint breathes. His eyes were closed and he couldn't even hear anything correctly, a ringing running through his head.

**"Most people would have died already you know. Hell, they would have given up after the demon started his charge. But no, you powered through. You sent as much of that strengthening magic through your body at the last possible second and used that reformation arm as a vanguard against the attack. But even then, it wasn't enough to protect you."** To Naruto, all of his words were nothing more then dribble. Faints sounds he couldn't recognize as he slipped further and further into the darkness awaiting him. **"I would be surprised, but to be honest I've come to expect this of you. After all, you were the boy who almost ruined everything for me in the tower. Oh well, I suppose I should let my men extract their pound of flesh before they get antsy."**

Even in his exhausted state; even as his body was bleeding and burnt and he couldn't tell what was happening around him, he could tell one thing. He could recognize a word in all of the mindless gibberish the man was speaking. Just one.

Tower.

"W-wait." Hades could hear that faint, almost non-existent plea even in the slow wind around him, he looked on in pure shock as the boy tried to lift himself up on his hands. As he tried, they wobbled from their inability to support his own weight and he threw up a large quantity of spit and blood. He fell back down as he tried to at least lift up his head, to look at the man who outclassed him in power.

"Y-you s-sa-said tower. Wh-what do you know about the tower?" His eyes were half-lidded and blood was dripping down his face, streams of it building up under his damaged body. Hades only looked at him evenly as he was asked the question. "Who are you?"

**"Years ago, I found a cult secluded in the deepest depths of the mountains, praying to a dead god. They worshipped and idolized him, willing to sacrifice blood and flesh to please his offerings. I told them of a place they could go to fulfill a dream, to awaken this god from his death bed and bring upon his new reign."** Naruto actually listened as intently as he could, slowly realizing where the familiar story was going. **"They would only have to follow my instructions and their reasons for living would be complete. They would have to gather hundreds of workers and sacrifices to give to fulfill the requirements, but then their job would be complete. That is the tower I helped build."**

**"My name is Hades. Master of the Grimoire Heart Guild. Creator of the Balam Alliance. And I shall herald the new Grand Magical World, led by the Great Zeref."**

Naruto was horrified by this news. The man in front of him. This-this man that had beaten him to a bloodied and broken pulp, was the man who made the tower. The place that he had slaved in for god knows how many days. Where every night people put themselves to sleep by crying. Where the only better option to take was to slit your wrists or throat and hope that you were never found. Spewing the same 'holy death god' shit that those bastards in the tower got off on.

Naruto shook in place as anger and pain and melancholy and remorse built up inside of him. "Why?" He got hades attention as with a renewed vigor, Naruto yelled out to him. "Why would you aim for something like that? Making a tower that killed more then it could save? I watched people die everyday, some taking their own lives just to end the misery! And watched my friends cry for freedom everyday, pasting smiles on our faces to survive and push on! The bodies of the fallen, the runners, piled up like sacks of clothes and meat! I saw that everyday!"

"Why would you do it? Why would you put us through so much just to fulfill a pointless goal? The lives of everyone that gave themselves at that tower! The slaves! The cult! My friends! Their families! What do they mean to you?!"

**"Nothing. They were necessary."** Naruto stared deflated at the simple and quick answer he had received from the stoic man. **"They couldn't fight for themselves so I doubt they would have been much use. If they weren't able to fight off those foolish cult members, then they weren't ready for the magic world I was making. The tower wasn't going to work in the end anyway, so anyone that was lost in the process was just a necessary sacrifice for the future."**

Naruto looked at the man in horror at the cold and calculated meaning of his words. All those people, all those men and women he worked with. The lives that were ruined and affected in the process. Rob-jichan lost an arm. Jellal had gone insane. Wally and Simon were separated from their families, crying everyday for their safety. Shō and Milli-chan were never going to be the same, traumatized with pain and dath since such a young age. Erza...she lost her parents... Kazuya and Erika died trying to fight a way to freedom for her. And he just said...

It. Was. Necessary.

**"I suppose I should give them thanks for their efforts and work in helping me come this far. Perhaps I shall incorporate their lives in the magical world when I-"**

***SMAAAAASSSHHHHHH***

Hades actually lost his footing at the massive earthquake that took over the town area. The ship rumbled and the houses fell apart at the earth saddled underneath them. The guild members were all shaking in fear as Hades turned around, looking at the cause of the earth shattering force.

The boy had punched the ground. With his left fist, he punched the ground. And from that punch, a crater that match the Amaterasu attack was formed underneath the cracked dirt and stone. The boy was on a knee, his body still badly injured but forgotten at the moment. His eyes shadowed as his teeth were mashed together so hard it added to the blood coming out of his mouth.

"They were necessary? All those lives? Those people? Their families? The cries of desperations and sorrow? Their last attempts for freedom and to contact their lost loved ones? Their last chances to fight for their lives and they were necessary? NECESSARY!"

He lifted his head and gave Hades the eyes of a killer beast. The eyes that he was forced to use when Danzō made him kill for sport. The eyes drenched in tears of sorrow and regret for the dead.

"I'LL KILL YOU! I'LL FUCKING KILL YOU!"

The ground underneath his feet splintered as he jumped straight at the old man, screaming a cry for blood as he soared as fast as possible. When he came close, he spun in the air several times and hooked his left fist around Hades' already prepared outside block. Hades actually winced as the power behind the strike was so much more impressive that his arm was actually shaking.

Naruto then sent a wave of attacks at the man as he aimed to rip the old bastard's throat out. An elbow strike from the side. A straight jab feinting into a left hook. A tornado kick that lead to a drooping axe kick. Naruto's body was tolling and the power behind them was growing weaker. But despite his injuries, the boy's attacks were becoming faster and smoother, making it more difficult for Hades to block, even if only by a small fraction.

Hades pushed the boy off his arm and sent him skidding a few feet, the boy growling in anger as tears fell unhindered down his face. Hades pointed his finger at the boy as he attempted another dive at him, pulling his left fist as far back as he could to strike. As the magic built up in his fingertips, Naruto changed the direction of his attack and destroyed the ground underneath them.

The floor was destroyed and splintered, dust and smoke covering all of Hades' senses. He chuckled a little at the boy's clever but desperate attempt to score a hit. He kept turning around, hearing feet rush past behind him. As Hades waited for a moment to find his bearings, he heard a rustle behind him.

He pointed his finger at the ground, where a sudden shadow was closing in on his lower body. He released the pent up attack and vaporized the object. It turned out to be a rock as the stone exploded into hundreds of tinier pebbles. Hades smiled as he had already predicted this outcome. He looked over his head where a human shadow was creeping up on him, ready to pounce down and tear him to shreds. With his other hand, he aimed at the falling figure and unleashed his next attack. The blast exploded out the man's other side as a spray of flesh and bone was left with a massive gaping hole. Bullseye.

Hades' eyes widened when the figure came into focus. It was his guild member that was asking him questions throughout the entire fight, he was already dead as his bloodied corpse came closer and closer to falling on him, with no remorse, he smacked the body away with both his hands.

And then he realized what was happening. He saw it coming towards him. As he pushed the dead subordinate out of the way, the boy was coming straight at him. Using the corpse as a distraction to surprise the old Mage. Hades pulled his hands back, trying to put them in front of his face to protect himself. But just as his arms were close to coming together, the metal arms broke through the open gap and headed straight for his face.

**"Uggg**hhhh!" Hades yelled through shut teeth as the boy's demon enhanced hand dug three fingers into his right eye, clawing out the trump card he had worked years to create. From inside the ship, the heart malfunctioned and short-circuited due to the connecting apparatus being destroyed.

Naruto yelled as he tried to dig his hand even further into the man's eye until he pulled down; leaving three long, deep and bloody gashes down the right side of his face. As Hades was falling back, Naruto took the midair opportunity to grab him by the collar and punch him as hard as he could with his Armored right fist.

Hades flew out of the dust cloud, hitting the side of his aircraft and sliding down until his feet his land. The old man braced himself on the side of the ship as he covered the bloody open right socket of his former eye. He couldn't even feel a trace of the magical power from the eye or the heart. He became angry and unsettled, vowing that the moment the boy came ou-

"HA!"

Hades was caught off guard as Naruto bursted out of the dust, digging his left hand through the skin and into the older mage's stomach. Hades spewed blood as the force from the attack cratered and cracked the hull of the ship behind him. With a ferocious anger, he pulled the blood soaked hand out of the gaping hole in his stomach and started to unleash a massive flurry of fast and tough punches into the area surrounding the wound. The hull continued to crack as Hades grunted in pain every time the punches connected with a loud thud. After some time, Naruto started to work his way up, cracking and shattering the lower half of the man's ribs as he tried to make the man suffer as worse as possible.

Hades tried to retaliate, throwing out a fast fist to knock the boy back but found the boy had evaded him. Not only that, as Hades' arm was out in front of him, Naruto gripped the wrist of hand tightly and connected his feet into the elder man's face. Pushing him through the weakened metal of the ship's hull and pulling out the arm from its socket.

The ship trembled from the force of the attack as the members inside the ship stumbled and fell over. In the main hall of the interior of the ship, Hades was lying on the ground covered by the ships rubble. He lifted himself up, trying to ignore the pain in his abdominal area and the blurry vision he had from his loss of blood. As he looked up, he saw the boy flying at him, a samurai sword in his hand and his eyes whitened by an intense fury.

Naruto stabbed Kusanagi through the artery of Hades' right arm, pinning him to the ground as the wound bled out. As Hades screamed in pain, Naruto pinned his body to the ground with his knees on either side of the man's body. He then pulled back and smashed the man's face in with his left fist, silencing the man's screams and cratering the wooden floor.

As Hades gasped for breath, Naruto punched him again with his other fist. And then he started to alternate as he created a barrage of fast strikes into the man's face, piercing loud thuds created every time he hit. Hades' body was twitching as Naruto screamed as loudly as possible to punish the old man. The skin of his fist peeling off as it was covered in his and Hades' blood.

From the cat-walks, the Grimoire members pooled out and watched in horror as the boy tried to beat the man to death with his bare hands. They all issued an order and unleashed a combination of their magic attacks, destroying the planks around him and some blasts connecting to the boy's back.

Naruto didn't care anymore. He didn't care if he came out of this alive or dead. If he was hit, it didn't matter. If he was tortured, it didn't matter. All that mattered was that he was close to killing this man beneath him. And he was going to make him suffer.

As Naruto continued to dig his fists into the breaking bone of the man's skull, Hades tried to think through his options. He was toying with this child, like a lion with his lunch. And he was so close to dying, just a single concentrated attack and he would have ended that boy's existence. And in an instant, it all turned around.

His eye was gone. His ship was broken. And now he was being pummeled to death by a raging child that couldn't control his temper. And when he looked through the flurry of punches, he saw the image of a demon. A demon worried only of making his head a pink slurry underneath his might. And he had to say, this view was...

Unbelievable.

Hades concentrated and estimated the amount of magic in his body and how much power he could put into his attack. He then felt about how much damage his body could take if he used his attack. But with his choices, it was either that or continue with the feeling of his cartilage being crushed with every hit. And anything less would probably not stop the boy.

Hades moved his fingers in a pattern and summoned what remained of his magical power. A familiar set of black and purple runes appeared around the two of them as Naruto seemed to have enough presence of mind to notice the larger circle of affect center around them. Underneath all of the blood, broken jaws and cheek bones, bloodied eyes and shattered teeth, Hades smiled.

"Amaterasu: Formula 50"

The airship's hull exploded in all directions as the magical circle expanded in the center of the ship. An even more powerful shockwave was unleashed across the landscape as the trees sure downing the ship all fell over from the force. In the nearby river, several planks of wood and steel fell into its depths, along with a body that floated downstream.

The Heart members all coughed and tried to peer through the dust, trying to find any other members of their guild. Dozens of men all went to the ground level, trying to find any sign if their master who had sacrificed himself to kill the child. At the center of the blast radius, the members of the guild all cringed in shock. Hades was lying on his back, his clothes completely destroyed and burnt to a crisp. His skin was fried and smoking as the sword that was in his arm had melted due to the extreme power of the attack. His face was swollen and deformed, blood dripping down his mouth and shattered nose. The open wound on his stomach was burnt shut but the blood was still covering his lower body.

"Gawk!"

The guild members all sighed in relief when they heard the motionless body cough up some blood. Despite his severely damaged body, he was still tough enough to fight through and survive this. As the members of the dark guild all started to prepare a medical ward for their master, they tried to keep him calm during his time of shock. "Master, you'll be alright. We'll call Ulter-sama and get her to come and fix the ship. And you'll be better than ever when were done healing you."

"Gawk...ugh...uhehehe...hehehehe..."

The people scurrying around the beaten guild master all stopped as they heard him do something like chuckle as he lied there covered in blood and bruises. "Master?"

"Hehehehe...eheheheheheh...Khahahahahaha...AHAHAHA HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAH!" All of them watched as their master seemed to break down, laughing like a maniac as the medics came to take him to intensive care.

**########Hunter########**

The pink-haired old woman walked along the riverbank, picking the special herbs that she knew only grew in this edge of the forest. She admired the sounds of the peaceful nature and roaming wildlife around her. No annoying brats. No stupid old friends who saved her life. No more rumbling in the distance with smoke flying up.

She could get used to this. Maybe she could move in here. See how those little punks would annoy her then.

As she was admiring the clear waters, she noticed a change in the tinting of the water's color. She stood up and stepped inside, running her hand through the middle of the strange phenomenon. As she brought her hand down to cup some of it, she realized that it was a flow of blood. She followed it upstream as the flow seemed to gradually increase the further in she went.

When she finally arrived, she looked on in shock. A naked blond boy with a metal prosthetic had his arm wrapped around a log as his grotesque wounds bled out into the water.

Great. More trouble.

**########Hunter########**

**_Done_**

**_To those who have been reading my story and patiently waiting for you know what...thank you. There is one more chapter for April, and I've got to make it count._**

**_ReadxReview_**

**_Thank you and bye_**

**_Next Chapter: Welcome Home_**


	11. Welcome Home

Titania and The Hunter

Chapter 11: Welcome Home

Disclaimer: Oh a man can dream though. A man can dream.

350+ reviews, 800+ followers, 700+ favorites and 100,000 views. I can say nothing more than you guys just kick major ass.

And now, I hope to satisfy the last of your wishes with this last chapter. If its good, I couldn't be happier! If it sucks, meh, live with it. Also, never going to be this long in a while. P.S. Kur0Kishi original idea, so that explains first action.

And also, I will be utilizing stuff mostly from the anime into this chapter. If you only read the manga, you might have to watch the episode to get some context. If you refuse to...well I guess that's just SOL, huh?

**########Hunter########**

_May X778_

The birds sang out a beautiful melody as the sun was rising up over the seaside town. The dew slowly dripped off the leaves of the tree as the baby birds chirped for their mother. It was a fresh early morning in the late of Spring as the noise from the animals in the tree outside her window slowly woke the girl up.

From inside the female dorm, the young scarlet-haired girl slowly opened her eyes as the morning sunlight peaked out through the trees, the curtains and into her face. The 13-year old lifted herself up from her little bed at the edge of her room as she yawned cutely from waking up so early. She wiped her eyes and stood up from her bed, making sure to avoid all of the stray weapons and armor that were laid out on the floor around her.

Erza went to her bathroom and started to fix up her messy back-long hair and take off her simple pajamas. As she stood naked in her dorm room, she breathed out and was engulfed in a bright light that covered her entire frame. When the light dispersed a moment later, she was dressed in her usual armor outfit. A simple armor plate that covered her torso and a white skirt that covered her knees that were followed by brown heeled shoes that gave her an extra inch of height.

She walked over to the mirror in her personal bathroom as she looked at herself. She took a length of her hair and started to braid it down to her back. As she did, she found it much more difficult to do by herself then when she had Hilda-obaachan help her with it.

Erza then stopped the looping of her hair as she was hit with a phantom feeling of the melancholy she was trying to overcome over the past few weeks. When she found the overturn horse carriage, all the young armored Mage could do was cry her eye out. And when the news reached the rest of the dorm occupants, all they could do was cry at the loss of someone so important and essential to their lives.

They had tried to move on from the painful loss but found it was so much harder then any of them could imagine. Master Makarov had helped them through it, saying that she was a wonderful woman who had treated the girls of Fairy Tail like her own children. That she was a lady that would be loved and remembered for the rest of their days in Fairy Tail. And that she would never truly be gone as long as they remembered the love and kindness that she had given them over the years.

But Erza still found it hard, feeling so lost and hurt from the tragedy. How could someone so important to her life, who she was talking to just the night before about what she would be like when she grew up, be gone in just a day? It was heart-breaking. Erza was still very disheartened about it even now. But she was able to relieve some of the pain through talking it out with someone who would listen.

Surprisingly enough, that someone was Mirajane!

After a week had passed and Erza was still a little out of it, some of the other guild members were worried about her. She didn't even know she was causing this worry among her friends. If she actually knew she would have tried to repress some of the pain and cover it up with a smile. But before she could even react, Mirajane marched right up to her. Slapped her across the face. And then stood there with her hands on her hips.

Everyone in the guild was shocked and horrified. Everybody, even Master, was already ducking undercover as the red-head turned her surprised face up to look at the demon girl. And even through they didn't actually say anything there, she immediately knew what it was that Mirajane was trying to convey onto her. That she couldn't sit there regretting what had happened and that she had to start living her life like Obaa-chan would want her too. And Erza nodded and had a small smile on her face to show she understood. Which was returned by an enthusiastic Mira.

Of course to keep up appearances they had to have a brawl and destroy half of the guild. Hey, you can't have people think they can smack you across the face and you wouldn't react by smacking them back. Afterwords, while the rest of the guild put things back together, the girls had a quick talk about the subject. In which Mirajane told Erza the exact same words she had said to her a few weeks prior after their first fight.

Erza finished her braiding as she looked in the mirror and smiled to herself. She had to start bucking up again. She wasn't supposed to be the type that sits their regretting for the rest of her life. She had to stand back up and start where she left off. If that meant accepting requests, eating cake and beating up Gray and Natsu, then so be it.

The red-head walked out of the restroom and looked outside to the tree in front of her window. She watched silently as the birds that flocked in the nest in the tree flapped their wings. They flew off and into the bright, blue skies. She smiled as she decided that she had to do the same thing.

**########Hunter########**

Deep inside the East Forest besides Magnolia, a tall woman with pink hair done up in a bun was cleaning the area in front of a large tree with her broom. As she continued to tidy up the 'yard' in front of her home, the Medicinal Advisor of Fairy Tail looked up to the bright, cloudy sky of the early morning new day.

This was one of the reasons that she loved the isolation of forest in this world the most. There was no hustle n' bustle of the city so she didn't have to worry about people bothering her. The only worry she ever actually had was whether or not she had fed the deer today. That...and when more of Makarov's idiot kids get themselves hurt fighting for absolutely no reason but to fight.

She guessed that was one of the reasons why she was still here. After all the years she spent at Fairy Tail after they took her in when she first came to this world, she must have felt obligated to help the people who needed her. Every time Makarov or Rob got themselves hurt fighting, she was the one that had the expertise to fix them up. It must of been a feeling she got deep down when she knew that they had resorted to fighting to solve their problems.

Especially after what happened to Hashirama-San and his group. She knew what it was like to come to a world so similar to hers and yet so different in so many ways. Having to adapt to the styles and culture of a world that was finding it hard to accept you. She had to wonder how many years it had been since someone called her by her true name?

She had hoped the best for the powerful ninja and his followers on their quest to find a way home. Knowing that even though she was stuck here, that didn't mean that they should be too.

So she was crestfallen when the news of the Tonewa tragedy had reached across the nation. This was what fighting had lead to. Because of an escaping tag and a need to prove oneself, hundreds of people suffered and died. And not only the innocent civilians but Hashirama, Yukiha and everyone else were never heard of again. She hate fighting. She truly hated it. All it ever did was lead to more pain.

After that idiot Makarov was acknowledged as the next guild master, she knew that there was going to be even more pain in the future. And she knew that she might have been the only one who could help the next generation stand back up on their feet. So even now, despite all her nagging and rattling on humans and their need to solve everything with violence. She knew that she was a human who couldn't leave a person to suffer if it was in her power to help them.

Which lead to her next pain in the butt.

Porlyusica walked back towards her hollowed tree home as she placed the broom down by the steps. She walked up the stairs and opened the door as she walked back into her home. The elderly medic went over to her work station as she started to break apart the herbs and make them into her potions. As she messed with a flask full of a synthetic magical potion used to heal certain ailments, she caught a reflection of her current patient.

Lying in the only bed that occupied the large room was a blond boy with whiskers-like markings going down his cheeks. The boy was peacefully resting underneath the sheets as the sunlight was washed over the bed. Despite the resting blond's face, beneath the sheets his body was still covered in fresh bandages and healing medicine to accelerate the process.

The old doctor could only say that this was more trouble then it was worth.

**########Hunter########**

_"Nehhhh~ Porlyusica, why did we have to come out here again?" The leader of the three person group looked behind her at the whining midget and disgruntled ace of the guild. "I just got back from the guild master meeting and I wanted to get a drink."_

_"Quit complaining you idiot. It's because of what you told me after the meeting that makes this so urgent." The tall old woman pushed a branch out of her way as she continued down the usual path to her house. As she carefully tried to maneuver her way through the pristine condition of the environment, Gildarts just walked casually and destroyed anything in his way with Crash._

_The tallest member of the three looked down at the smallest member. "Hey old man, what exactly did you tell her that's got her panties all up in a-" Porlyusica glared over her shoulder at the younger wizard as the two men fl chef and shook in fright. "I-I mean what did you say that has got Prolyusica-San all worried about?" Makarov rubbed his chin as he tried to think about what it was that spurred on this sudden journey to her tree house._

_"Weeeeellllllll, when I came back she told me there was something I really had to see. And when I told her that I was supposed to be looking for someone the council had put out a report on, she said it was very important."_

_"What was the report about?"_

_"Ah, it was something stupid about a kid that they were looking for." Makarov yawned as they neared the house made out of the hollow tree. "Apparently, some young man had challenged and beaten a division squad of Damnation! And now the council has ordered that all guild masters be on the look out for this kid. Of course, that man Jose had decided that only the 1# guild should report this case in and promised that he would deliver the boy, Dead or Alive."_

_"Wow? He must have some serious issues?" Makarov chuckled and nodded as Gildarts whistled in surprise. "Man, a little kid actually took down a team from Damnation! That's amazing! I'd love to meet the little bastard who could do something like that to those assholes!" The ace of the guild laughed loudly as he was accompanied by Makarov's laugh as well._

_"Yeah! I'd love to share a drink with him!"_

_"He-hey, maybe Obaa-chan is leading you to her house to show you where she had already captured him!" Both of the men laughed until their sides hurt as they reached the open door of the medical advisor's house._

_"Ahahahaha, that would be the day!" The two men wiped some tears building up in the side of their eyes as they walked in. They immediately went stoned face when they saw a bandaged up body resting in the bed in front of them. Several tense moments passed as the only sound that could be heard was the crickets outside scrapping their legs._

_"Ahhhhhhhhh! She did it! She killed someone! Hide me! Hide me!" Gildrats ran outside and jumped off the stairs as he knew that the woman did not care for all the times he ruined her house just by walking inside._

_"Porlyusica-chan! What have you done? Did he eat your apples or something? Oh My God you've snapped! Run! Run from the crazy woman!"_

_"SHUT UP YOU IDIOTS AND LISTEN!" The men stopped their momentary break down as they held each other and cowered in fear of her wrath. Her veins were throbbing as she took a calming breath and walked over to the injured form of the boy. "Makarov, you said that the person they were looking for was a blond boy with whiskers and a prosthetic arm, right?" The shirt master stopped playing the fool and looked at the woman in surprise at where she was leading the conversation._

_As the two men walked over to the bed, Porlyusica softly pulled the bright yellow hair upon the young boy's head. She then pulled back the sheets and revealed the fully formed metal arm that was attached to the left side of the child's bandaged torso. And on closer inspection, you could clearly see the three black lines across each his cheeks. "This is him, yes?"_

_Makarov kept a stern face as he looked up at his old friend and nodded. Gildarts stood there silently and looked over the boy who was covered from head-to-toe with new bandages. His chest was barely moving as the young boy was taking very small breaths of air. The stress and pain on the boy's face was still evident as there seemed to be some droplets of sweat building up on his brow. "What's wrong with him?"_

_Porlyusica knelt down and soaked a small towel in her hand as she wiped the boy's face clean with it. "He had 7 cracked ribs and 5 broken ones. Torn muscle fibers throughout his entire chest. Fractures across the bones in his arms and legs that would cause anyone to fall down and cry in pain. He has torn ligaments and his ankles were sprained enough to tear his muscles up. The skin and bone structure in his fists were broken so bad a splint was going all the way down his forearm. Plus he had some internal bleeding and severe trauma to the head, limbs, lungs and sternum. He also had multiple burns across his whole body, most likely induced by some magical means. So in short, he is pretty messed up."_

_Makarov looked over the boy as he couldn't help but feel sorry for the young child. No one this young should experience have to be hurt so badly. "Where did you find him?"_

_"It was in the forest near Yarrow after the attack from that dark guild." The older men looked shocked at her theory as the child seemed to calm down at the touch of the cold compress in her hand. "I didn't even know there was an attack going on as I was gathering up some medical herbs to make more potions. When I was close to finishing, I just found this kid stuck to a log floating down the river. He was lucky I was there to give him immediate first aid...or else..." She shook her head to show how lucky the boy was for her to be there when she was. "I've had to be careful transporting his body here or else he might have been in critical condition._

_"Soooo, are you saying he was a part of that Grimoire guild and he just got caught up in the blast?"_

_"Maybe. But I cannot be certain until he actually wakes up and I can ask him."_

_"How long has he been asleep?"_

_"A few days now. I've tried to wake him up but he isn't responding. Just a moan every few hours and a nervous sweat like that." She cleaned the sweat covered rag as the two men stood there, contemplating the next suitable course of action._

_"So old man, are you going to report this to the council? Tell them you've got the guy they're so anxious to meet?"_

_Makarov had his head tilted as he was thinking through the options at hand. "Well, I suppose we need to wait until we can interrogate him ourselves. See if he really is a threat or if the council just got some bad information. I won't think a kid like this did something as bad as that until I hear him say it with his own lips. Until then, we should keep him here. Away from everybody else." Gildarts nodded as he agreed with his Master's decision on the boy's condition._

_"There is something else you need to know." Makarov looked over at the pink-haired woman as she bent over the boy's head. She put her hand on his face and pulled back his eyelids with her thumbs. Makarov walked over to his side and looked at the boy's eyes. He kept silent and calm betraying the slight surprise he had in his eyes at seeing the boy's coloring. "Blue and Brown."_

_"The same as that armor girl you brought in last year. So she may have something to do with this after all."_

_"Armor girl? You mean Erza? What does Erza have to do with this?"_

_"It's a long story. I'll tell you later Gildarts." The tiny Wizard Saint look over at Porlyusica. "What do you think we should do?"_

_"I'll keep him here until he wakes up. When he does, I'll see if I can find anything out about what he was doing. If he was a part of that guild, I'll try to sedate him so you can turn him into the knights."_

_"It could be dangerous."_

_"I don't care. It my duty to make sure he pulls through these injuries and wakes up. And I can't do that if he is in a cell." Makarov smiled at her as she stayed completely serious with her promise. And behind them, Gildarts was completely lost._

**########Hunter########**

That had been about a month ago. Since then, most of the boy's injuries had healed up and faded. His muscles would still be undoubtedly sore from all of the exhaustion and physical treatment, which was why he was still unconscious now. And there would still be a new scar or two to add to the boy's collection on his body. But nothing that would affect him in the long run.

But she had to say that it was becoming tiresome to hide this boy from everyone else. Makarov made it easier by asking the kids to be more careful on the requests they go out on. But she didn't have much faith that those little brats wouldn't get themselves hurt doing something stupid. She just wasn't that lucky.

The old woman sighed as she continued to work with the chemicals in front of her. Whatever the case would be, she would be here to make sure that the child would stay calm when he woke up. And if he really was part of that dark guild, then she would have to make sure that he didn't make his way into the town. No matter what the cost.

Unseen by the woman as she continued to make new remedies and medicine, there was a stirring in the sheets of the bed behind her. And a flicker of blue and brown light from behind slowly opening eyes.

**#########Hunter########**

Erza was looking at the request board impatiently as she tapped her foot on the wooden floor. She had her arms crossed as she couldn't decide which of the crummy jobs in front of her were acceptable to take. Usually, she wasn't too picky about the type of job she accepted, but these really didn't look like they were worth the effort.

Finding some strange plants for a 'certain experiment'. Destroying a rock that was in the way of a river flow. Maids wanted, full bodied women preferred.

She didn't know why, but she felt like she wouldn't be accepted for that last job. And that kinda pissed her off.

The only job on the entire board that she would actually accept was the worker job back at Parker-San's place of business. It didn't actually require her to use her magic or anything, just to do some heavy-lifting. But since it wasn't a job that actually needed the help of a Mage, it didn't pay very well. Of course, the man himself was really quite kind, despite his rather rough exterior. The first time she took the job was when he told her that Naruto was still alive and had come to the mainland. And since then, she would come over every few months to see him and help him with his place of business.

But she didn't feel like traveling all the way to Hargeon today, so she just let out an annoyed breath and turned around. "What's wrong Erza? Nothing good to be had?" Erza looked over to see her old master looking at her with a raised eyebrow.

"Nope. I don't think I'll be going on a request for today. I might just stay here and have a day off." Her master raised his mug and cheered to that as he gulped down a quarter of the beverage in a few moments. Erza chuckled as she started walking over to the table with her mid-day snack, hoping to finish it off before grabbing another piece.

The armor clad girl looked down at the empty plate. She stood there silently as the other mages around her just seemed to have fun. Not knowing that she had just had another piece of her favorite strawberry cake taken away from her. Why? Why did everybody have to take her cake? Was it funny? Did they want a piece?

She looked to the only other people at her table. Natsu and Gray as they were glaring at each other and promising to punish the other one for absolutely no reason. Ohhhhhhh, it's time for some payback. "Oh boys, can I have a word please?" The two boys stopped their arguing and looked towards the older girl.

"Huh? What's up Erza? Finally coming to challenge me right?"

"Are you stupid charcoal brains! She obviously came to get a beating from me!"

"Whatever you say guys. But let's go outside okay?" The two boys jumped out of their seats and followed the red head girl as she calmly walked outside. From her place at the other table, Mirajane laughed coyly as she licked her fingers clean of the stolen cake's frosting. Across from her, her younger siblings were shaking their heads at her trying to engage a fight with the other girl Mage.

But outside the guild building, a bright shining light appeared for an instant before fading again. And in its place were the forms of five people. Well, two women, two men and a cat with wings.

**########Hunter########**

Porlyusica finished her chemical mixing as she poured it into a separate flask for it to settle. She was actually showing a faint, almost minuscule smile as she lost herself creating the new elixirs. She then noticed that a small gust of wind was pushing in some cold air into the housing. She looked over her shoulder and saw that the door to her room was slightly agape. She sighed as she got to her feet and walked over to the door to close it so she could-

Wait! Open! When did it-

She turned around quickly to see that the bed was empty and its sheets were thrown over lazily. She looked around the entire room as she tried to find the boy that had awoken in her home nowhere in sight. She dashed over to her workstation and picked up a potion for fast-acting sedation.

She slowly creeped out of her house and gently walked down the steps, trying to make no sudden movements or noises. She had to find the boy before he reached the town and caused any trouble. If he found out that Fairy Tail was inadvertently holding him here, who knows what he would do to retaliate. As she reached the bottom of the staircase, she grabbed hold of the broom she was using earlier and used it as a make-shift weapon. Looking all around her, trying to find the young blond boy.

"Euahhhhhhh~." The woman heard a strange noise come from her left side. She turned around to see only the trees and forest.

"Uehhhhhhhhhh~." Porlyusica could make the strange noise out as some kind of moan of pain or exhaustion. She walked forward towards the noise, still on her guard as to make sure that she wouldn't be taken by surprise. The noise continued to ring out through her ears as it was soon followed by a rush of what sounded like water.

She suddenly heard the noise clearer then before and could distinguish where it was occurring. She kept to the side of her house as she scaled alongside the bark, trying to keep as unnoticeable as possible until the last moment. She jumped out if her hiding spot to see what was happening.

There he was. Her blond patient of the last month. Standing there with a few bandages on his arm and chest. With his grey pants lowered to his thighs as he urinated on her tree house.

"Awwwwwwww~ so much better." The boy moaned as he continued to relieve himself on the stump of the tree he found himself in. He finished and shook himself clean as he realized that there was a feeling of being watched at his side. He turned his head to see a wrinkly old woman standing there with her jaw wide open and a broom in her hand. She had her pink hair up in a bun held up with a crescent pin and was wearing a long red cape. "Hello."

"DON'T JUST SAY HELLO TO ME YOU LITTLE BRAT! AND STOP PEEING ON MY HOUSE THIS INSTANT!" She started to bash the the top of her broom on his head as he grunted and whined in pain.

"Ow! OW! Stop it lady! What the hell's your problem! Ow!" He tried to block her strikes and send her a threatening glare only to realize that he was staring at the face of a fire spewing demon in a mad rage. He screamed and tried to run away from her as she chased him around the tree, shaking her broom at him in promise of revenge.

"DON'T THINK YOU'LL GET AWAY FROM ME THAT EASILY!"

"AHHHHH, MONSTER! MONSTER! SOMEONE GET HER!"

"VENGEANCE SHALL BE MINE!"

**########Hunter########**

"What? I've been here for a month! What happened?!" The blond boy screamed out at the old woman sitting on a stool in front of him.

"Shut up! God you're a noisy little brat!" The whiskered boy flinched as he continued to be examined by the medical advisor that lived in a tree. She checked his pupil dilation and muscle reflex as well as checking his vitals. She pulled off her stethoscope as told him to lower his new black top. "You seem to be fine."

"No thanks to you hitting me with that broom.

"Don't pee on my house next time you ignorant little punk." The boy jumped up and hid under the covers of the bed as his eyes were the only visible feature still open to be seen. She sighed and went back to mixing up new elements for her treatment. "All of your vitals check out and there doesn't seem to be any changes in your brain functions either."

Naruto looked over himself as he rotated his arm around its socket, wincing as some light aching pierced his muscles. "I still feel sore though?"

"That's because your body was very badly injured. It took a long time for your muscles and bones to set back in and fix properly, even with my help. Don't worry though, just give it some time and lay off any dangerous feats of stupidity and you should be right as rain." Naruto looked around the room as he sat on the bed with his feet crossed.

"Where am I anyway? And who are you Baa-chan?" Naruto panicked and dodged a thrown vile of some strange liquid as it crashed and corroded the wood behind her head.

"Don't you dare call me that you little brat! My name is Porlyusica and that is all you shall call me okay?"

"Yes ma'am." Porlyusica nodded at Naruto's salute as she settled down and sat back into her stool.

"You are in my house in the East Forest. I found you drifting down the river near Yarrow covered in wounds and brought you here. I've been taking care of you ever since to make sure you didn't take a turn for the worse." Okay, here goes nothing. "What were you doing there exactly?"

Naruto grumbled a little as he tried to think through the events that had lead him to this spot. "Well, I was on my way to Magnolia when I arrived at the city in ruin." He growled angrily as his teeth mashed and his hands grinned his pants tightly. "I saw all of those-those dead people and I couldn't control myself. I found those guys from that stupid guild and I tried to fight them but-" he looked at the palms of both of his hands, some evidence of scratches and small scars on them. He remembered the overwhelming number of mages and the immeasurable fear and power that old bastard exuded. "They were too strong."

The woman saw the pure anger and vulnerability evident in his mismatched eyes as he seemed to boil over in rage at being unable to defeat the immensely powerful dark guild. She could plainly see in his eyes that the reaction he was having was not faked or an overreaction. And she could tell...

This boy really wasn't a part of that guild.

"Then can I ask you another question?" Naruto looked up at her with an innocent look in his eyes as she turned around and looked at him. "Before the attack at Yarrow, there was a small town call Acacia that was destroyed by a squad from the guild Damnation. There was report of a boy with your features being spotted at the scene engaging them in a fight."

"Yeah. Those guys were going to kill a bunch of innocent people so I just got in their way. I'm not a part of that crappy guild if that's what you are asking." He rested his back on the smooth wood behind him as he felt surprisingly tired just from this conversation.

"So your not some mysterious creature who helps the bad guys get away with their deeds. You're just a nosy kid who puts himself into too much trouble because he can't help it."

"Pretty much." He actually laughed like a normal kid as he looked at the prosthetic arm on his body. "That's kind of what Bob-San and Rob-jichan told me when I got this thing." The elderly woman dropped the vile in her hand as she was shocked by his casual reminiscence. She walked over and grabbed his shoulders as she looked him in the eye.

"Did you say Rob? Do you know Rob? Where is he? Is he still alive?" She was shaking him fast enough for his face to blur as only separated syllables were reaching her ears.

"Yea...h he wa...s in the mounta...ins near Pegasus wi...th Bob-San! He gave me th...is prosthetic after I got hurt and I...haven't seen him since!" She stopped shaking him as his eyes were bouncing around in his sockets and he was finding it hard to see straight. Porlyusica sighed as she couldn't believe that old son of a bitch didn't tell them he was back. She grumbled and stomped her feet in anger. Naruto was actually trying to back away as he was getting more and more frightened of the old woman.

"Do you know Rob-jichan Obaa-ch-" ***Glare***. "Um, Porlyusica-San?" Had to make sure he didn't piss her off more then he already did.

"Yes, we used to be friends together. He and I were part of the same group." She looked over to a photo on a stand by her workstation. She picked it up and had some fond memories play through as she fiddled with its side. She turned around and handed it to the boy who was watching her with expectation.

He took the photo and examined it carefully. In the corner was a writing of X736, representing that this was taken a very long time ago. He looked at all the people in the picture that were standing together like one big happy family. A man in a leather jacket giving the camera a thumbs up was the closest person in the picture. And behind him, a handsome man in a suit with silky black hair and a sensual smile. A shorter man with spiky blond hair and a very grumpy scowl on his face. Besides him was a large tower of a man and a younger man with only one eye open and a strange rectangle jaw. And finally, a woman standing with impeccable posture with long pink hair going down to her back. And behind him, the Fairy Tail building.

"Wow! You got really old, huh?" ***Thwack* **"Ow! Sorry!" He nursed the bump on his head as he looked back down at the photograph. "So wait? Where's Jii-chan?" She snarled at him before pointing at the huge man with the familiar shaped her and hair. Naruto gaped and laughed as loud as he could. He tried to calm himself before falling over the bed and holding his sides in pain at his pleasure. Prolyusica shook her head and returned to her stool in work as she picked up the pieces of broken glass.

"Hahaha, this is so cool! I get to meet another one of you guys!"

Porlyusica looked at him in question. "What do you mean?"

"Another one of you people who were in the past generation of Fairy Tail!" He smiled as widely as he could as he looked up at her in admiration. "All of you guys are so cool! It makes me want to join that guild more and more every time I meet one of you guys! Rob-jichan taught me all about magic and fighting! Bob-San started a whole new guild(granted they were all weird as fuck) that's famous all across the world! And you saved my life! Thank you! Thank you so much!"

Porlyusica looked at him and his wide grin before she felt a tinge of nostalgia evident in his shit eating grin and his ecstatic attitude. She shook her head quickly as she tried to get the slight enjoyment from being praised for her skill out of her head. "Well that's nice. You really seem excited to be meeting some old coots from Fairy Tail, don't you?"

"Yeah, I've been wanting to join the guild since Rob-jichan told me stories about it all the time." He looked down at his feet as he smiled sadly at the few good times they had in that hell hole. Where there was a light that they could fight towards just outside the bars. And he wanted to get there with the girl that had given him that first bright light. But every time he came close to it, someone or something pushed him further back. He didn't even know if the red head was at the guild. Let alone alive. It was all just wishful thinking, hoping that the goal he wanted since he was a little kid could still be alive. But how he had seen the world so far didn't raise his hopes, and was only making it harder to see that goal. "I really wanted to be there with Erza...but...I guess we can't have everything we want in the end."

"Oh, so you do know that little red-headed girl? I was wondering if that was the case. I suppose I was right." Naruto listened to what she said and looked up to the cape clad back of the woman with partially widened eyes.

"Wh-what do you mean Obaa-chan?" She was about to turn around and smack him across the head for his continued insolence when she saw that there was a spark of confusion and hope laying dormant in his eyes. She turned back around so she could keep the air of indifference intact around her.

"I mean that you have the same eye color as that Erza girl that Makarov brought to see me last year. She was missing an eye so I decided to fix her up. By the way, you said you wanted to join Fairy Tail right?" She pointed over her shoulder at the closed door to her house. "If you follow the dirt path it will lead you straight to the entrance of Magnolia. And at the other end of the city is that guild you've been wanting to see all this time. Aren't you lucky?"

She sat their waiting for an answer from the boy, like a strange yelp or a thud from his body falling over from fainting. But she received no sound or thud like she had expected. In fact, it was completely silent except for the sound of the evening winds blowing through the leaves. She turned her stool around but was blinded by a flash of yellow and black.

"Thank You! Thank You! Thank You Obaa-chan! Thank You So Much! Ha! HaHaHaHaHaHaHaHaHa!" He continued his spine crunching hug as the woman started turning purple and was flailing her arms as she gasped for air. He dropped her on the floor and started literally jumping off the walls like an excited child should be. Completely ignoring the aching in his muscles from the active action. "I Made It! I Made It! WooHooooooooooo!"

He jumped up off the bed so strongly that the springs actually creaked underneath his feet. He made a line for the door before he felt the woman grab the back of his shirt in an attempt to pull him back. Unfortunately, her being a woman with no magical capabilities and the boy being a super powered tank of stamina with a metal arm and one whole month of built up energy, was pulled through the door and dragged through the dirt until he realized that he was carrying some extra weight.

"Huh? Obaa-chan? What's wrong?" The panting, dirt covered old woman started crushing his head between her hands as his arms were flailing around in an effort to escape.

"What's wrong with you! How could you just dart off like that when I haven't even given you a check out diagnosis?"

"But I'm right here! I'm so close! Obaa-chan, let gooooooooo!" He was lifted up and put under her arm as she walked back to her tree house.

"Look, I'll fix up some food for you to eat before you go."

"But I'm not hungry-" an animalistic growl was rang through their ears as Naruto looked at his shivering stomach. "Ehehehehe. Okay. I guess I can eat before I leave."

Porlyusica shook her head in anger at the boy's lackadaisical care for his own condition. And how she was forced to take care of it. Stupid human brats.

**########Hunter########**

The blue sky was dyed the colors of spreading red and dazzling orange. The clouds had expanded and were covering the entire land in a beautiful mixture of blue and white. Even though it was close to night time, where people would head home and prepare for the next day, there were still so many people walking around and doing their business. Everybody had a smile plastered on their face and the streets were clear for dozens of people to walk by and still enough room for him to feel star-struck at the environment.

This city felt much larger then Viola did. And there were many more people who were using magic as a daily appliance then anyone at Hargeon. The young man in the long grey pants, black shoes and black short-sleeved shirt was astonished that this was the city that he had heard was the base of the guild. Random people, strangers, were waving at him and telling him to have a nice day. He felt overwhelmed with this new feeling of familiarity and could do nothing else but wave back excitedly.

Naruto felt a wave of anxiousness flow in his body and butterflies flying in his belly. Well not really flying. More like bouncing around at sonic speeds as they impacted into his stomach like a train. He was constantly chuckling as he was walking closer and closer into the center of the large town. He followed the the sparking river that was leading down the center of the town as he came up to a tall man that was closing up shop.

"Excuse me, sir?" The older gentleman looked behind him as down a the voice that garnered his attention. The boy in question came up to about his navel, with stunning blond hair and wide glowing eyes of cerulean blue and vibrant brown. He was dressed rather blandly, but had some kind of covering around his left arm as the metal went all the way up to where his sleeve ended. But the most eye-catching thing about him right now was that those strange marks on his face were scrunched up with the muscles tearing happy grin he was showing right now. "Can you tell me where I can find the Fairy Tail Guild?"

The older man smiled and pointed along the water bed behind the boy. "If you follow the water, you'll come across where the town starts to break into the north and south regions. Over on the north part of town, you'll see the guild on the outermost edge of the city. You can't miss it." Naruto followed the man's direction and nodded his head in thanks. He walked along the streets as he couldn't see over the large buildings surrounding him.

Naruto shrugged his shoulders as he decided on the faster approach to finding his target. He walked into an ally and sent some of his magic into the bottom of his feet. He jumped up and started to bounce off the walls of the surrounding buildings as he came closer to the roofs, remembering his tree jumping practices with Rob. He landed on top of one of them and looked out at the enormous town in front of him.

The city was illuminated with the vanishing light of the setting an. The entire town was bathed in a glow of red and orange. The massive lake behind the coast was almost completely still as it reflected the sky so well it looked like two suns were setting into each other. Naruto felt speechless as his breath was taken from the dazzling sight in front of him.

Naruto sat down on the edge of the building, looking out at the entire scenery in front of him. Directly in front of him the massive Cathedral overtook everything in detail and size, standing far above all the surrounding stores and houses. The joining rivers were all bleached red from the color of the sky as they all flowed into the lake. And at the farthest end of the city, sitting on the edge before coming to the coast, was a big orange building.

It had a large dome rounded off on its top. Three stories going down it until it reached the ground of the city. And even from here, he could see the three flags that were dangling from the top floor. With the insignia of a creature with wings and a long pointed tail coming out its back. There it was, Fairy Tail.

Naruto leaned back on his left arm and reached out with his right hand. The light beams from the sun were blocked out by his hand as he looked out of the clearer picture of Magnolia. He smiled contently as he pulled his hand back to his lap.

He looked down at his hand as he examined how it had changed over the years. He could remember what his hand was like when he first came to this world, stuck in that tower. It was much smaller and far more fragile then it was now. Now that he thought about it, his whole body had changed a lot since then.

He thought about how young and simple they were back then. Even in that horrible cell, him and all of his friends still tried to work together and see the best of the world out there. Telling each other about what they would do when they finally were free of that place while Rob-jichan chuckled from his place by the wall.

He felt a hint of nostalgia and regret as he couldn't be here with all of his friends. Memories of that last day played out in front of his eyes like they were happening once again. Their sorrow and tears. The pain and loneliness. Everything. And he didn't even know where they were.

But at least Erza was here. Porlyusica-baachan told him that she had joined the guild over a year ago. Around the time they had broken out of the tower. So she must have been happy with what she was doing now. Taking requests. Making friends. Exploring the world. And looking for her...

Parents.

And just like that, an ice cold weight dropped in his stomach so fast he almost felt like throwing up. He put his hands by his side and held onto the side of the building as he tried to keep himself steady. Like an anchor to this world that he couldn't walk away from.

This was it. This was the moment he had dreaded about for the last year. Where he had to tell his oldest friend the truth about her family.

When they were in the cell, she would talk to him and only him about this situation. Se didn't bring it up often. And each time was short and barely passed as a conversation. But when she talked about them, her eyes sparkled with a light that could have shined throughout the entire tower.

A hope that he could safely say he had never experienced in his whole life,

In that dark hell, that was the light in the tunnel that she just kept trying to claw her way through. Her motivation to keep standing up tall and fighting for her freedom. That was her hope. That was her light.

And he was about to crush it like an apple.

All he wanted to do was go to this guild and experience what it was like. To have a purpose and family to call his own. And when he was there, he would meet the girl who gave him this dream to fight for. And he was suppose to tell her her family, her real family, was gone?

He felt sick just thinking about it.

What would he do? Would he go there and just ignore the topic, hopping that it would never come up? Or would he lie to her and tell her to keep searching, keeping the truth from her so that she could keep hoping for a chance?

What did they say? Ignorance was bliss?

He looked down at his lap as he was coming close to a panic attack. Did he have a right to keep it from her? When she helped him realize and fight for a dream, that he would lie to her and tell her to keep moving forward on an endless path. It would hurt to lie to her face like that.

But he knew it would hurt even worse to see the devastation in her eye if he told her the truth.

***crack***

Naruto was brought out of his downward spiral of regret as he looked to his left. In all of the commotion in his head, he had started to grasp at the roof even tighter for support. And as a result, he had dug his fingers into the concrete like hot butter and pulled out a chunk of it absentmindedly. He squeezed and reduced the chunk to pebbles and dust. As he watched the particles of rock escape his hand with the wind, he looked at the part of him that had changed the most over his time in this world.

That which had changed the most. But was still the anchor to what he really was.

_You're not even a whole human anymore, are you?_

Naruto's eyes widened in shock as he looked around him for the clear and booming voice in his ears. After a moment of searching, he realized where he had heard this voice and tone before. That Hades bastard. The fucker who was the whole reason he was like this now was ringing through his head. His taunting words and ample jabs at his humanity and control were echoing in his mind.

_You can fight that impulse for as long as you want. Stray away from it. Ignore it. Imagine that it never existed in the first place. But one day, when the people you tried to help are dead at your feet and you are drenched in their blood...you'll snap. And you will kill everyone around you. Be they friend or foe. Most likely with that very hand._

Naruto growled in contempt as he remembered the man trying to question his morals and dreams. Testing him by saying that he was going to become a demon, something worse then even that creature he had summoned to attack him. And that he wouldn't even be able to control himself from taking the lives of everyone around him. It was just a matter of time.

Naruto mashed his teeth as his eyes flared with a deep seeded hatred and anger. That made him mad! Pissed him off to an unbelievable amount! That guy! That freak, was lecturing him on his uncontrollable attitude and use of power! While he was standing in a field of fire and blood that the man in question had caused!

He couldn't control him! He didn't understand his will and need to fight on! He knew that Hades was wrong! He just knew it! Naruto looked down at his clenched armored hand and saw several tiny scratches that laced the knuckles. His eyes widened before they became heavy and lidded in sadness.

Except, he wasn't.

As much as he wanted Hades to be wrong, he was right. Naruto couldn't control himself when he lost his temper and he was fueled by anger and hate. The end of that fight was more then enough evidence to support that claim.

That unbridled rage in the face of a monster like that man had clouded his mind. Like what had happened to him when he was under Kurama's influence, except it was just his feelings making him turn. His thoughts and actions were only concerned with killing the ancient man in the most painful and humiliating way. Even though he couldn't feel anything in his left hand, he still could still feel the sensation of breaking that man's face and body apart with his own hands. Covering him in blood and spit. Hearing his bones crunch, blood squelch and screams of pain and agony still ringing in his ears. All of that was still fresh in his mind, and he didn't even know if the man was still alive.

He wouldn't be able to control himself if he lost it again. So would he risk it? Risk putting Erza and everything she had started to love at risk just so he could experience a few moments of happiness?

Or...could he just run?

If he left, Erza would never know what happened to her parents. She would still search, having a long lasting hope fill her heart as she searched for her old family with the people she had come to recognize as her new one.

He could do what Kazuya and Erika had done with their lives. Travel around the country and help out those who really needed it. He wanted to teach those guys from Damnation the lesson he promised them. And he just knew that Grimoire Heart wouldn't be dead just yet. He could die, but it could be for a cause that was worth it.

In the blaze of the setting sun, Naruto turned over his shoulder and looked at the entrance to the city over the houses. And then back to Fairy Tail. A possible future home or the life of solitude he tried to abandon? Hurting his comrade or fighting against those who lived to hurt? The options were right there for him to take.

He just had to choose.

**########Hunter########**

"Natsu! Gray! Where are you? Come out now! I have to apologize!" The scarlet-haired girl cupped her mouth as she yelled out to find her little pseudo-brothers. After their little spar(read:her beating the snot out of them) she returned to the guild to take a breather. When she returned, Mirajane had came out and said for the whole guild to hear that she took it. Normally, Erza would have just been mad and argued with someone who did that to her. But since it was Mira, and she just pissed her off for some reason, they opted to take the physical option out.

Luckily for everyone present, Makarov had grabbed them mid-leap and lowered them back to the ground, telling them no fighting when they had a guest over. Said guest was a voluptuous blonde woman in a red and white bunny suit, looking nervously as Erza checked her form up and down, making sure to cover her right hand. It was strange to have this 'Bunny-chan' here for some reason, causing a party among the guild. Even stranger when all the men were jumping at the chance to accidentally rub up against her.

Men were very strange sometimes.

As Erza was making her rounds and was coming close to the guild again, she was reminded of the fighting between Natsu and Gray. Their constant rivalry in an unsuitable environment as they challenged each other to prove who was strongest. It was childish and moronic to see them like that.

Suddenly, she remembered the same sequence of events, except with different people and settings. An idiotic blond that kept boasting about his climb to unrivaled strength. And a proud bluenette that promised to teach him how real strength looked. When they were by themselves, or surrounded by the other kids in her family, they always fought with everything they had. With an even amount of wins, losses and ties for the both of them.

Each of those silly brawls would end with one of them standing over the other, the losers' eyes replaced by 'x' as they tried to lighten the mood of the cell. And each one of them was just a silent promise the two made to each other that they would have to grow strong and show everyone here that it was possible to escape this place. And the hope they unconsciously dug deep within all of their hearts.

For a moment, the pleasant memory was replaced with the last instant of those two looking at each other face-to-face.

One of them, crazed and tortured. Pushed off the brink of sanity as he had come to accept the ways the cult had strived for as the only means to change the world.

The other, angered and broken. His infinitely fueled rage pushing his beaten and bloody body as he tried to keep some semblance of both his conscience and what they had all been fighting for.

She shook her head as she tried to forget the pain she felt on that last day. The sight of one of her best friends promising to end her life if she ever tried to come and stop him. And her oldest friend sacrificing his safety just so she could come out breathing.

She tried to shake her head of all of those troubling thoughts. She hated seeing Gray and Natsu fight like that. Because it reminded her of what she couldn't do when those two were fighting each other. But she hated having to hurt them like that too, even if they seemed to eat her cake.

She wanted to apologize. But she just found it hard to do so. She always did.

"I can't do it!"

Erza looked over to a small tent right outside the guild hall. The exclamation had caught her off guard as she had thought that thing was empty. She shrugged her shoulders and started walking over to its open gap. As she came closer, she saw what looked to be a combination of a curvaceous woman and a white cat. A long tail swinging around as she saw some ears resting in her hair.

Well, whatever help she could find.

"Hey, cat lady over there."

**########Hunter########**

Naruto had lost track of time as he laid on his back with his hands behind his head. He was looking up at the cloudy blackening sky as his leg hung lazily from the side of the building. He couldn't make up his mind on what was the right decision to do.

His heart felt heavy with each and every possibility his mind could think up of when he thought about what to do. His heart felt heavy and his eyes were getting hard to keep open. Even at night, he could survive sleeping up on this roof.

He closed his eyes as he decided to forget about what he had to choose. When he woke up, the decision would come to him. He just wanted to make the painful feeling subside for a moment. Just a moment would do.

"Help!"

...

Ignore it. You have to think right now.

"Someone please help!"

It's alright. Someone will take care of it.

"The carriage has lost its driver! Someone stop it!"

Seriously! It doesn't concern you! Not your problem!

"There's a little girl inside! Someone help her!"

...

Sigh. Damn it.

Naruto opened his eyes and jumped to his feet. He looked over the edge of the building as he could see people moving out of the way of the carriage with no driver. Naruto kept his eyes firmly on its escaping form as he started to follow it as fast as he could.

He jumped from roof to roof, using his magic to make it easier to jump and land. When he was coming close to losing room to run over, he jumped off the building and landed with a ground-breaking thud.

The civilians jumped out of his way as Naruto rounded a corner and kept after the vehicle with all of his might. He looked surprised as when he was making the corner, a woman in a strange bunny outfit was chasing after the runaway carriage as well. She was just a few inches from grasping the metal bar to the carriage as she tried as hard as she could to save the girl inside.

"Hey!" Naruto yelled from behind her. "You should leave! I can handle this by myself!"

"So! I'm not just going to leave some little girl to get hurt!" The girl yelled over her shoulder as she couldn't see the boy directly behind her. "I have to help her anyway I can!" Naruto raised an eyebrow in surprise at her noble effort as he smiled a little at her attempt to help.

"Well here! Let me help!" He ran forward and put his hands out to help throw her up on top of the carriage. In this case, the first thing he could grab to heft her up was her round and firm ass in those tights. Earning a surprised yelp from the blonde woman in front of him.

"Hey! What are you doing you little perv! Get your hands off of-huh?" She felt herself get lifted off her feet as the boy's pushed up on her butt. She squealed as the boy behind her hefted her above his head and pulled back. "Wa-wa-wait! Let's think this-Eyahhhhhhhh!"

Naruto threw the bunny girl up over the top of the carriage, hearing a grunt of pain as she made loud contact with the roof. Naruto followed after her and grasped the bar she was after earlier. He pulled himself up and jumped on the back of the carriage as he could see a terrified silhouette in the separated curtain.

"Hey! Are you alright?" He got the barely audible positive answer as he looked over to see the bunny girl land at the front of the carriage. She was making some annoyed sounds of effort as she tried to grab hold of the lashes around the horses' mouth. "What about you? Any luck?!"

The bunny girl heard the sound of the little pervert that was helping her in this effort as she failed to stop the horses. "No, we're going to fast! I can't grab it from here!" Naruto clicked his teeth as he tried to think of a way to help the woman with her job. He looked down at the speeding floor beneath him and got a stupid idea.

"Hold On!" Naruto jumped down and used his feet as a break to stop the acceleration of the carriage. Both girls squeaked when the vehicle suddenly slowed down as the boy used his magic to strengthen his feet and burrow into the concrete beneath him. He grit his teeth as to not let out the gathering noises of displeasure and pain escape from his mouth.

Bunny girl took this opportunity to reach out to the struggling horses' mouth and pulled the leashes out. The animals ran off as the older woman fell back on her butt. "I did it!"

Naruto gasped and jumped back up to the back of the carriage, hissing in pain at his bloody feet through his black shoes. He massaged his feet as the carriage rolled out of the town's limit and onto the rocky path. All three blondes on the carriage took some deep breathes as they felt their adrenaline lower. And then, all three of them started to laugh in joy at what they did.

"Um, hello? Onee-chan? Are you alright?" The soft and timid voice from inside the carriage asked the panting woman at the front of the the vehicle. She received a giggle in return as the woman regained all of her vigor. Naruto smiled as he jumped down from the perch and slowly limped over to the front of the cart.

"Of course I'm alright! I'm a wizard after all!" She smiled and leaned back casually as she remembered she had some help. "Hey, are you alright Perv-kun?" She heard some shuffling coming closer to her side.

"My name isn't Perv-kun, got it?" He walked out the side of the carriage and got a good look at the woman he had assisted in stopping the cart. She was younger then he thought, only a few years older then him. She had very long blond hair that had a pair of white bunny ears on top of them. She had _very_ large breasts and a slim waist that formed nicely with the cosplay she was wearing. And on her hand was the symbol for Fairy Tail colored in pink. Naruto went wide eyed as he wanted to ask her a question.

"Oh really?" She started to turn heard head to look over at him. "And what exactly do I call yo- Naruuuooooooooooooooooooo!" She shrieked at the top of her lungs as she jumped back and seemed to make space between her and the younger blond boy. Said blond boy was covering his ears from the ear-piercing noise, joined by the little girl inside.

"Geez lady! Control your voice! Ow." He massaged his ears when he looked back up and had the woman almost an inch away from his face. He got a full look of her brown eyes and could see down the large cleavage of her dress, getting him to blush slightly at the sight. Just as he was about to say something, the woman grabbed his cheeks and started to pull on them.

"Wow. It really is you. Only one guy has got whiskers like this." She kept pulling his cheeks even farther as she seemed to ignore the sound of annoyed grumbling coming from the young man. This continued until Naruto had enough and swatted her hands away with his left one. "Itai!"

"Ah! Sorry Nee-chan! I just sorta reacted!" Even if she was causing him mild pain, he still felt bad for using this thing to hurt innocent people. The bunny rubbed her hands before looking at the metal arm in fascination. She grabbed it and started to inspect it from the fingers to the shoulder.

"Woah. I remember this thing. Been so long since you had it I completely forgot about it."

"Huh? What?" The woman seemed to bite her tongue as she jumped out of the carriage seat and onto the floor, mindlessly shooting out random words as she tried to string together a full sentence.

"Ahahaha! Never mind! You just remind me of someone I know! Forget I said anything! Oh, look at the time! I've got to go!" She turned around and ran as fast as she could as she yelled over her shoulder. "Perv-kun, take care of the girl for me, will ya? Okay! Bye!" Before Naruto could even respond, the girl had sped off as fast as she could out of his sight. He was left there in the road as he just looked at the carriage and shook his head.

It wasn't his problem anymore. It didn't concern him about what was happening.

"Hello? Onii-chan? Are you still there?"

Naruto stopped in his tracks as he felt a sudden need to help her rise up in him at the innocence of her question and voice. He grumbled to himself before walking back to the front of the carriage and started to push the cart with his own two hands. With some magic in his hands and ignoring the pain in his feet, he started to push the little carriage back to the city they came from. "Yeah." He replied. "I'm right here."

"Thank you Onii-chan." He kept pushing the cart at a very slow pace as he didn't want to frighten the little girl. "Huh? Are we moving?"

"Yeah. Don't worry, I'm doing it. I'm pushing this thing back towards the city."

"Wow. You're super strong, huh Onii-chan?" Naruto felt some of his pride swell up at the compliment from the little girl as he chuckled to himself.

"Well I do have my moments." He said with a well hidden smirk on his face. "So what are you doing out here, huh? Do you usually take doomed carriage rides by yourself?"

"N-no! I was with some of the servants my daddy assigned to watch over me." She said with a little hint of embarrassment in being accused of being stupid and dangerous. "They said they had to check that I was protected the whole time before I take my ride."

"Protected? Why would you have to be protected?"

"Be-because some bad men sent my daddy a letter saying they were going to hurt us for doing something bad to them. And I don't really know why" she sounded scared as her voice seemed to crack slightly. "But I'm not allowed to go anywhere until everyone makes sure that I'm safe."

"That sucks." He said lamely as he kept pushing the cart with very little interest in the conversation. "So why aren't you're mommy and daddy here with you now?"

He waited for a few seconds as there seemed to be a silent war waging in what the girl was going to say next. "My daddy always has work to do so I don't get to play with him very often. And my mommy..." She swallowed hard as she found it difficult to say the next few words. "My mommy died last year." Naruto stopped his pushing as he looked through the curtain in shock at the pain she had in saying that. He lowered his head as he felt ashamed for being so indifferent in their conversation.

"I-I'm sorry. That must have been horrible." He heard a few sniffles as the girl hummed in reply to his statement. As he kept pushing he decided to try and help her remember the good things about her loved one.

"What was she like?"

"Huh?"

"What was your mommy like? She must have been wonderful." The girl let out a few sniffles before she decided to comply.

"She-she was the kindest, most wonderful woman in the world. She was nice to all the people she met. And she always wanted to make sure that the people around her were happy before she worried about herself." The girl started to gain some mirth in her voice as she continued to describe her mother to the stranger outside. "She never got angry at me, even if I did something stupid. And she was the most beautiful lady in the entire world. Really Onii-chan! You wouldn't believe how pretty she was."

"Heh, I bet."

"And she was an amazing wizard too. She was the best Celestial Sprit Mage ever."

"Celestial Spirit?"

"Yeah! It's a magic that let's you summon spirits from another world! It's amazing!" Naruto was surprised at the revelation that there was a magic that let you summon living creatures like that. "You can summon people and animals! And they all have their own abilities and skills that make them amazing! Oh, and then there are the 12 Zodiac keys! Those let you summon the strongest spirits in the entire world!"

"Seriously? That's so cool!" Naruto actually felt himself getting excited at the explanation the little girl was giving him on her mother's magic.

"Yeah! And I have two of them." He smiled as he actually felt the pride and exuberant happiness flowing off her voice. "I've got Aquarius the Water Bearer and Cancer the Giant Crab. They are super strong...except-" he heard a shaking in the cart and a nervous tic in her voice. "A-A-Aquarius-San is kinda mean." Naruto nervously laughed at the girl's state of terror at the obvious hostility the supposed spirit showed to her.

"But they help me a lot." She said with renewed feelings of excitement. "And I'm learning how to use them better everyday! And someday, I'll be just a good as my mom-" Naruto heard the girl stop her exclamation as he figured that she couldn't continue saying what she was saying.

She was learning the same magic as her mother. Maybe because it was so easy since she had seen it before. Maybe because she was pushed into it. But probably because it helped remind her what her mother was like; so she would never forget.

"She's not really gone." The little girl inside stopped her quiet sniffling as she heard the older boy outside consoling her. "If you are learning her magic and wanting to become more like her, then you will never forget her. But if you just remember what she has done for you and what she was like, then she will never truly be gone. She's your mommy, she could never really leave you without making sure that you could live happily with the life you've got."

He smiled a little as he was entering the city limits from his efforts as he thought about how remembering Kakashi and Kurama helped him adjust to this world when he first arrived. Helping him remember that this was the new life they had given him, whether they knew it or not. Thats what Rob-jichan told him when he was feeling sad anout his friends' disappearance. The girl sniffled a little as she wiped away her tears.

"Did your parents tell you that Onii-chan?"

"Nope. I don't have any parents."

"Huh? Why not?"

"Don't know. I just sort of came into the world. Never bothered with the who or how."

"I-I'm sorry."

"That's okay. I don't really let it bother me." Naruto looked around and saw that the people that had once littered the had vanished and gone home. "I did have this guardian once. He was the first-um-'person' that I really ever knew. He sort of took care of me and taught me a bunch of stuff. And..." He looked down at his foreign arm and felt a tinge of sadness rise up. "And he's gone now."

"I'm sorry."

"It's alright. He died making sure that no one would be hurt again. And he made sure that I could live how I wanted to. And I've still got a piece of him with me wherever I go..." He smiled again and finished pushing the cart into the city. He breathed out and leaned on the side as he looked back up at the stars.

"Onii-chan? Are you a Mage?"

"Yeah."

"What do you do?"

"Well, I was kind of interested in this guild called Fairy Tail. And I really wanted to too, but... I kind of have to think it through now."

"Why?"

Naruto scratched his neck as he just nestled into the side of the carriage as a support for him. "If I join, I will have to tell my friend some really bad news. And I'm worried about what will happen to her when I do."

"Will it hurt?"

"...Yeah."

"Then you can be there for her right?" Naruto looked at the closed window where the little girl's shadow was still sitting down. "If you want to see your friend and she's going to be sad when you tell her the news, make sure you are there to help her. Tell her what you told me. And I bet she'll be happy that you are there. That's what I think."

Naruto contemplated what she had said and looked off in thought. It probably wasn't that simple to think about. And it definitely wasn't going to be that easy to just say it. But if this little girl could come up with a solution...what kind of man was he going to be if he couldn't.

"Lucy-samaaaaaaaaa!" Naruto looked up to the street as a group of men and women were running this way, crying their eyes out as they yelled. They all arrived in front of him, panting heavily as they all propped themselves up on their knees. The first person to notice his present was a short middle-aged maid with a pony-tail. She looked up at the blond boy casually standing in front of the carriage of her master's daughter. "Wh-who are you?"

"Could he be one of the Ronin?"

"Did he kidnap Lucy-ojousama?"

"Wh-what does he want?"

"Y-Young man-" the maid stepped forward, obviously terrified of the blond boy that looked at them like they weren't even a threat. "I-I don't know who you are...but" she got into a ridiculous fisticuffs stance and held her fists out as if inviting him to a spar. "If you really are taking Lucy-ojousama then you will have to take her over my dead body."

Naruto watched as all the other people there were standing in funny stances as well as he measured them all up. Despite not knowing who he was or what he could do, they still only thought about the little girl's safety over their own. He smiled as he lazily knocked on the carriage door.

In response the little girl opened the door and jumped down, looking at all of her servants/family that had come for her. Naruto finally saw the girl that he was exchanging words with for the last few minutes. She was shorter then him, by at least a few good inches. She was blond and had her hair in a sideways ponytail, wearing a little pink dress. She looked up to all the people in front of her. "Spetto-San?"

"Lucy-ojousama!"

"You're okay!"

"Thank god!"

All of the people started crowding her and hugging her, grateful that the girl was safe. The scolded her for her reckless actions and cried that she was still okay. Naruto smiled and decided that it was his time to leave the happy scene. He pushed off the cart and started walking in any direction he could.

"Onii-chan!"

Naruto turned around and received a fast blond blur into his chest as the little girl pulled him into the strongest hug her little arms could. He looked down to see the little girl looking up at him with a big warm smile across her face. "I know you'll make the right choice. I know you will. And when I grow up and become a great Mage" she closed her eyes and gave him the biggest grin she could make. "I'll come and visit you and then we can play with our magic. Okay?"

Naruto looked down at the girl in shock as he couldn't believe all the boundless faith this little girl put in him. Even though they only knew each other for a few minutes, she trusted him like she knew him her whole life. He returned the hug around her smaller form and smiled. "Yeah. It's a promise."

Lucy let go of the older boy's body and ran over to where her family's employees were all standing. She waved to the older boy as he walked off to wherever he was going. And when the servants asked her who the boy was, she stated with a big smile on her face. "He's my guardian angel."

**########Hunter########**

Naruto was aimlessly walking around the now empty town as his mind was drowning in everything he was thinking of and decisions to make.

The motivation he got from the little girl who put her faith in him. The depression he received from dark guild master who looked down on him. It was becoming too difficult to decide! Too difficult to think! Naruto grabbed his head as he tried to stop all the commotion and voices in his head. He needed help!

Someone! Help!

"Dammit! Where are those idiots!"

Naruto looked up at the source of the voice that shattered the disorder. It was a tall woman, with long red hair in a pony tail and white cat ears coming off her head. She was wearing a form-fitting white cat costume that showed off her figure that could match or even beat the bunny girl earlier. She had one of her hands on her hip while the other was gripping a withered old book tightly.

"If I don't find them fast, we'll be stuck here! And I am not going to be left here just because of those dumbasses!" The woman turn around slightly, showing off her left arm that had a blue fairy tattoo imbedded in the forearm. Naruto looked at her in surprise before steeling himself and running up to her.

"Hey lady!"

"Huh? What now-" the cat woman turned around and saw the boy with blond hair looking up at her. At a speed that made light look like a snail dissolving from being touched with salt, she dropped to her knees and covered her hair and eyes with the book and her paws. She was visibly shaking and seemed to sweat while the boy looked at her warily.

"Are you okay?"

"Y-yes! I-I'm just-um" the woman kept checking her surrounding as if she was trying to find something to garner her attention. "I was checking the condition of the street pavement!" She tapped her hand on the ground and got some solid thuds back. "Yep. Seems good."

Naruto looked at the woman like she was an anomaly as he shook his head as he had something to do. "Whatever. Listen, do you know a girl in your guild? Her name is Erza! Erza Scarlet!" He actually received a lucid nod from the spaced out woman who kept playing with the concrete.

"Is she happy?" The cat woman lifted her head as she was interested by the question he asked her. "I-I mean is she happy with what she has now? The people in the guild! Her new family! Does she seem happy?" Naruto waited apprehensively as the woman seemed to think through her answer.

"Yes. She is very happy." Naruto breathed out a long sigh of relief when the woman confirmed his ideas. At least he was right. She was happy and that was all that mattered. "Why?"

Naruto calmed down and looked down at his feet. "I wanted to know if she liked the new guild she joined. And I thought that you would know so-"

"Don't you want to see her?" Naruto looked at the kneeling woman with surprise.

"What?"

"Don't you want to see how happy she is? You're acting like an outsider. But all you really want to do is see her yourself, right?" Naruto stood there silently as he just looked at the open back of the woman before him. "So why don't you want to see her?" She waited anxiously for an answer from the boy behind her. The boy looked down as he tried to think of an answer for the woman. He didn't know what to say.

So he said what he was trying to hide.

"I'm scared because that girl is the first person that ever looked at me like a real human." He didn't sugarcoat it. He didn't try to lie to himself or the woman in front of him. He had no reason to anymore. "The first person who ever really saw my life with any value in it. She's my friend. My first friend. And she saved my life so many times that I can't live without knowing she was happy. That she could have everything she wanted would be something I would give my life for."

"And I know a truth that she deserves to know. But if I tell her, she could see me as a monster. The messenger that tells her the truth that will break her heart. And I don't want to lose her like that." It was a selfish reason, but he can't deny it. If she would look at him as just a friend, that would make him happy. So if he risked losing that friend, he didn't want to take that chance. He hated himself for that. But he couldn't fight the fear of seeing the rejection in her eyes when she would look at him.

"And I won't be able to control myself." He looked down at his hands as they were illuminated in the partially cloudy sky. "I can fight this feeling now. And I can keep trying to reject it for the rest of my life. But if Erza hurt me, or if I hurt Erza. I would lose it. I would lose everything my friends have sacrificed to get me here today. Even what she has given me." He raised his hand and lightly touched the space underneath his right eye. "I can't give up what so many people have suffered to give me. I cant risk that. Not even if it made me happy."

"So just knowing she is happy. That's enough for me."

The two of them stayed there in a mutual silence. Naruto looking at the woman as she continued to kneel in the opposite direction. She seemed to lower her head and let out a heavy sigh. "So it was always this deeply rooted. That's bad." She stood up and dusted her knees.

"Close your eyes."

"Huh?"

"I said close your eyes right now." Naruto was wary before complying and covering his eyes with his hands. Immediately, he felt an immensely fast, heavy, somewhat soft yet hard fist impact on the back of his head. He groaned and covered the area he was knocked on with his hands. "Cover your eyes!"

He brought them back to his face as he was alarmed by the ferocity in the woman's voice. As all he could see was darkness, he felt the woman's paw covered hands grasp his shirt and pull him up to her face. "What is wrong with you?! How could you think that she would be happy if she knew that you were suffering like this?! Does your happiness not matter to you?! Well?!"

"U-um-"

"That's all you have to say?! You don't even know what you want so how can you think about what that little girl wants?!" The boy was stammering as he tried to think of a defense against the older woman's offense. "So let me tell you what I know about that little girl."

"Even though she is happy with the new life she has found, she can't stop regretting leaving her old family. Imagining what she could have done to help them. Trying to stop crying every night because she was all alone again and she couldn't protect the people she promised to be with. That was what she was going through!"

"And then she learned that there was a chance that one of the friends she thought she had lost forever was still alive. And she felt a whole new ray of hope present herself. She prayed for their safety! That they could be free and see this new world for themselves, she prayed that they would be safe! That's what she did!"

"So now, one of her friends is finally here and is thinking he should just leave without even letting her know he is okay! You think that's a good idea?!"

"N-no ma'am!"

"Damn straight no! Even if this news is bad; even if this news would devastate her, you think she doesn't have a right to know?! If you think it will hurt her, be there for her! Comfort her! Consolidate her! Be the fucking friend you say you are and help her though it!"

"Yes ma'am!"

"And this feeling that you're going to hurt people? This past you are running from?" The woman actually lowered her voice and the boy back to arch of his feet as the boy was surprised with the sudden loss of hostility. "It's natural to be scared of hurting people. When you start to become stronger, you always have to worry about if this new strength will help or hurt the people you meet. But the difference is if you face that fear and use that power to make you strong. Or you run away from it an kill anyone who crosses your way."

"Don't let it control you. Don't ever lose to it. You won't just be hurting yourself if you lost. The people who care about you; your friends and family will be heart broken if they see you suffer like this."

Naruto felt the woman let go of his shirt and he could feel her coming to eye level with him, somehow feeling the warmth and security her presence was radiating strengthen his resolve. "So now you have to choose. Run or face it? No one will think any less of you for your choice. If you want to see that girl, go one mile west of the guild and you will find a building she is staying at. If you want to let her stay like she is, then you can leave the town and build a life you can be proud of. But..."

Naruto felt the sides of his face being held by the fuzzy fur of the woman's paw covered hands. He then felt a soft and warm sensation place itself on his forehead. A kiss of good luck from the woman in the cat outfit as she tried to reaffirm his courage and effort. "I know that you will make the right choice. You always make the right choice. It's you, after all."

Naruto felt a strange warmth grow in his chest as the grasp around his face disappeared. After a moment, Naruto lowered his hands and saw the woman had disappeared. He stood there silently before slowly touching the place the woman had kissed on his forehead. A small pink hue growing on his features.

He lowered his hands as stood there while the breeze of the night blew the clouds closer to the moon. Naruto looked there direction of the guild he had be watching for some time now. And he felt a strong fire burn in his eyes.

As he steeled his will and choice.

**########Hunter########**

Erza sat in her bed with as she read the novel that Levy had loaned to her so she had something to do when she couldn't sleep. She looked to the little clock on her nightstand and saw that it was well past midnight and she was still up.

She couldn't sleep. She just didn't feel like it. And it wasn't the fault of the romance book she was reading (just general fluff and love, you pervs!). She just wasn't sleepy right now. And more often the not, she would have another one of those dreams. Of the two people who felt so natural but never knew their faces. All of the commotion and shenanigans that had happened today should have tired her out, but didn't.

Fighting Natsu and Gray. Beating Natsu and Gray. Threatening that bitch Mirajane. Looking all over the town for those idiot boy's. And even being lectured by that cat lady was taking its toll.

Erza placed her book on the table and opened the curtains to her window. She looked up at the dazzling moon as it floated like a beautiful jewel resting in a dark lake. She sat there mesmerized by its sight as the shape of the rock illuminated her eyes. She remembered the only other time she had seen the moon so clearly as the transition of her life. The break off of her past, and the beginning of her future. The clouds covered the light of the moon as she sighed and looked down to the ground beneath her.

Her eyes widened when she saw a figure standing outside their dorm, masked by the shadow of the clouds. She couldn't recognize the form or person outside as they just stared at the dorm with no action. Pervert? Molester? Was he going to raid the dorm?

She was about to alarm the entire dorm as she ran outside to-

No. No, she didn't have to. Hilda-obaachan would have taken care of it herself. And now, she had to take responsibility for everyone's safety. It was her job to do it!

She ran down the stairs to avoid alarming everyone as a light covered her body. From the top of the stairs to the bottom, she had changed from her pajamas to her regular fighting armor, her long red hair still flowing behind her. Erza stormed outside and ran around the building, seeing the man standing on the cliff even through the blinding darkness.

Erza wasted no time as she Requip a sword to her hands and dashed towards the figure. The shadow saw her coming towards him as he seemed to use his hand to deflect her sword. Erza was surprised by the powerful counter before regaining her stance and slashing her blade against the man's arm. They exchanged blows several times before they pushed off each other and stood a large distance away.

"What are you doing here?"

"I'm not here to hurt anyone. I just came to see someone."

"I don't care! There are no interlopers like you allowed in this place! I have sworn to keep everyone here safe! So leave now!"

"Look miss demanding, I just need to go in there for a minute!"

"No exceptions!" The clouds started to move as the light returned to the cliff around them. "I have to stop people like you or else...we...would..."

And just like that, both of their hostility had vanished. The moonlight illuminated the once black area and they stared at each other, completely frozen in shock.

She had gotten taller. She no longer wore the rags and tethered cloth from the cell days that she was forced to. Now, she wore armor around her small chest, accompanied by a white low-bearing skirt and brown boots. She had grown her hair out much longer, the scarlet follicles now reaching all the way to the small of her back. And something had changed with her face. He just couldn't put his finger on it.

He had grown older. His once childish face had grown slightly leaner and seemed to have seen a lot in his time gone. His eyes still carried her gift to him and the whiskers she had come to know after so many years together. His clothes were nothing to that appeared to be bought or sold for much, just hand me downs that he had received from some. His feet were slightly bruised and bare. His arm had bandages further up his shoulder. But there seemed to be a strange change in his left arm, it was shining in the light of the moon.

They stared at each other as they couldn't believe what was happening. Like it was a dream or illusion they were suddenly thrown into. But they didn't know of care. Just looking out in front of them.

"N...Naruto?" A pool of tears was building up in her left eye.

"E-Erza?" His eyes were widened beyond shock.

"Naruto." The tears fell as she grew a shaky smile.

"Erza." His voice seemed to break as a faint laugh came out of his lips.

She dropped her sword and took a step forward. He followed her move. They took several clunky and uneven movements before sprinting right at each other. They both smiled as they came closer and closer.

She raised her hand. Brought it down on his cheek. Knocked him down. Jumped on him. Grabbed his collar.

"YOU ARE REAL! WHERE WERE YOU? I'VE BEEN WORRIED FOR A YEAR IF YOU WERE EVEN STILL ALIVE! PARKER-SAN TOLD ME THAT YOU WERE ALIVE BUT I DIDN'T BELIEVE HIM! AND NOW YOU'RE HERE STALKING THE GIRLS!"

Naruto just laid there stunned as the girl seemed to be yelling at him. Smacking him across the cheek with no warning and reprimanding him for his actions. Yeah, it was definitely Erza. She would do this to him and Jellal every time they started fighting for no reason. In fact, if they counted how many times she beat them up after their fights, she held the championship.

He smiled as she yelled at him before he heard her go silent. He then felt a small drop of water fall on his right cheek as he opened his eyes to look up at her. Her shoulders were shaking as she was sniffling, tears pouring down the left side of her face and onto the boy beneath her.

"*sniff**sniff* I-I-I thought you were gone." She was crying full out as Naruto looked up at her in worry. "I thought you had died. And I didn't even get to see you." She wiped the tears from her eye as she tried to steel herself but fail. "I...I..."

Erza was stopped as she felt the boy's arms wrap around her and hold her as tightly as he could. Her eyes widened in surprise as he nuzzled into her as much as he could, savoring her feeling after so long. "I missed you. I've missed you so much. And..." A tear ran down each of his eyes as he smiled as wide as he could in the hug. "I'm so glad you're okay."

Erza's eyes softened and she snaked her arms underneath his and returned the hug. They held each other as long as they could as they revived the warm and easy feeling they had when they encouraged each other in the tower when they were too scared. Erza let some of her sniffles run out and Naruto let tears run down as they both stayed silent in the embrace.

After what could have been hours, they released each other and laughed a little. Both wiping their eyes free of tears as they both giggled at each others' face. "Y-you grew your hair out." He ran his hands through her long red hair as she laughed a little at his interest in it. "I think it looks really nice."

"Thank you." She looked down at his bandage covered arm and grabbed at it, looking the boy over as she tried to find the cause of the wounds. "You got hurt didn't you?"

"Yeah."

"Did you get into a fight?"

"Yep."

Erza shook her head in disappointment as she palmed her face. She then looked back up at him. "Did you win?"

"It would be safer to say I got a draw." If beating the shit out of a monster powered human so badly that he was reduced to blowing you and himself up for breathing space, then yeah. Draw. Naruto laughed lightly as the girl was about to reprimand him for his reckless actions.

Naruto then noticed the change on the features of her face and grabbed it in between his hands. "What happened to your eye?" He was looking at her new right blue eye in shock as he remembered that when he last saw her, she had given him the feature so that he would survive? Naruto was holding her face so close that a small pink hue built up on her face.

"U-um, Master said that it ruined my face to be missing my eye like that so..." She grasped his hands and lowered them down, intertwining them in hers. "Porlyusica-San gave me a replacement one." She said nervously as she looked down, avoiding his surprised face.

"B-but why is it blue? If it's blue then it'll look like-" Naruto stopped as he left the statement hang in the air and touched the space around his eye.

"I chose it like that because..." She looked up at him and gave him a kind smile that showed how glad she was that he was back. "I wanted to have something to remind me of you. So that I'll never forget." Naruto felt a blush creep up on his face at her honest words as he couldn't look her in the eyes.

Suddenly, she firmly grasped the elephant on the cliff and waved his arm in front of his eyes. "What is this?" She pulled up the short sleeve of his shirt and saw the strange metal form around his socket in a jagged and uneven manner. "Why is it around your arm? What happened?"

Naruto just laughed and scratched his head. "Where do I begin?"

**########Hunter########**

"Rob-ojisan taught you all of that? Really?"

"Yep!" Naruto laughed as he balanced himself on the bank of the river moving through the center of the street. Walking besides him was his oldest friend as they talked about everything they had done over the last year and a half. Nothing was spared. And even after three hours of wandering around town and conversing about what they've done, they were still excited to tell each other the smallest detail. "We should go and visit him up in the mountains. We can pass through Pegasus too if you want. Fair warning: they're weird."

"He survived." Erza smiled but only showed a fraction of her relief and happiness to know that the old man was still alive. "That's good. I'm a little ticked off that he didn't come to see me." She pouted in the opposite direction as they continued their little stroll.

"So Fairy Tail! All that stuff you told me sounds so cool." He turned around and started to walk backwards on the stone bump. "These Natsu and Gray kids sound like fun." Erza shook her head with a smile as she just knew that he would connect with the boys. "A-And this Mirajane girl? Are you sure that she is a ruined prostitute that's our age?"

"Yeah. The biggest whore in the whole damn town. Make sure you don't come into contact with her. Or else you will get sick. Got it?!" Naruto buckled under the force and anger floating in the girl's voice. She readjusted herself and lost her angry tone. "So does it hurt?"

"Nah! I got used to it now." He jumped down and threw a flurry of swift and powerful jabs with his left hand. "It's actually pretty cool once you get the hang of it."

"If you say so." They were walking alone in the empty town as all the other residents were sleeping in their homes. She had noticed that they had almost come full circle around the massive town as they were lost in the conversation. Their adventures. Their experiences. Erza telling him that Parker-San was still fine. Rob-jichan's house and the training he delivered. They didn't talk about the tower though. They could just tell that they didn't receive any word from their friends.

"Hey Erza? What kind of magic do you use?" They arrived in the park at the edge of town as they decided to take a rest from their walk to the tree. "It must be something cool, right?"

"Well I don't really know about that. I would say that my magic is at least average. But if you insist..." Erza walked out into the middle of the park, in front of her old friend. She stood there for several moments before her whole body was covered in a bright light. Naruto gaped at her before her armor and clothes completely disappeared from her body and left her naked for a single moment.

Then, her body was covered by a new set of armor that changed how she looked. A pair of wings were attached to a black breastplate and large shoulder pads with jet black gauntlets. She stood proudly as she showed off her newest armor to her old friend. "I can Requip my armor into any other pair I have in my space. And this is my Black Wing Armor. What do you think Naruto?"

Naruto's face was frozen in shock with a small blush and his mouth hanging open. "Wh-why were you naked?"

Erza blinked as she wasn't expecting that to be the statement he asks. "Well I have to change to get into this armor. And it's much simpler then actually taking off my clothes in battle." She smiled and looked towards him in excitement. "Want to see another pair?"

"N-no! Tha-that's alright. I'll take your word for it."

Erza shrugged and changed into her base armor, making Naruto look away to keep a false sense of dignity for the girl. As the regular breastplate and white skirt returned, she looked at Naruto with a smirk. "Sooo, what magic did you learn?" Naruto ditched all forms of his previous wariness as he smirked at the girl.

"Check this out." He picked up a small pebble resting by his hand and covered it in his magic. He tossed it around before flicking his wrist and aimed the small rock at the girl.

She raised an eyebrow as she watched the rock sail towards her. She lazily lifted her hand and smacked the stone out of her way. She looked back and was surprised to see another rock sail in the path of the last one. She leaned out of the way and watched the rock bounce of the ground. It laid there before glowing and dispersing into magic dust, much to the shock of the young Fairy Tail Mage.

"That's how my Copy works. I use my magic to cover what I want. Then my magic makes a permanent imprint of its form and I can remake it whenever I want." He then held out his hand and another rock reappeared in his hand. He made a big grin as Erza was impressed with this new form of magical ability. "But that's not all."

Naruto then stood in front of the huge tree in the middle of the park and covered his body in a different style to his previous one, Erza watched as he released a fair amount of his magical power before it started to compress and become a visible light on his form. It wall traveled down his arm and into his right fist as it made a shimmering ball of light around it. He stood proud, with a smile, and threw the punch aimed at the tree.

The ball of light flew off his hand and sailed towards the bark of the tree. It impacted against the tree and caused some splinters of the huge and sturdy wood to peel off. Erza was surprised by the display of his other power and clapped at his effort. Naruto stood there before deflating and hanging his head.

"I really wanted that to do more damage." He regained his cheerful attitude and looked at Erza. "And that is the Armor of the Knight. I can amplify my power and abilities with a layer of magic. It is so cool." Naruto started playing with the magical armaments ability with his hands. "Rob-jichan tells me it makes me about 2 to 3 times stronger with a full layer. But if I concentrate on just one part" sending some magic to his forearm " I can make my attacks 4 to 6 times stronger."

Erza looked at him in awe as she had no idea he had assess to such innovative forms of magic. So simple yet surprisingly complex. "And..." A familiar light shined in his hand before two bat like weapons appeared in his hands. "I know Requip too. Just some weapons I copied but still..."

"Naruto that's amazing!" Naruto laughed as he scratched the back of his head in pride and embarrassment at being praised by the armored girl. "I had no idea that Rob-ojisan knew all of these magical styles. I should go and ask him to train me as well." Erza considered the idea before looking up at Naruto for his view. And then saw something.

Naruto eyes had seemed frozen, like he had just realized some horrible news. He lowered his head like he was experiencing fear and shame and every emotion in between. She saw the exuberant happiness he was emitting fall and be surrounded in something else. "Naruto? Naruto what's wrong?"

"I-I..." He fought with himself as he tried to find the right words to say to the girl. He lowered his head and his mouth was moving but no sounds were coming out. He shut his mouth and bit down as hard as he could, regretting what he was thinking of saying. But then, he melancholy seemed to subside and was replaced by just shame and sadness. "I didn't learn from Jii-chan... I... I learned from other people. Their... Their names were Kazuya and Erika."

"Really?"

"Yeah... They were really strong... And they were cool too. And they cared about each other a lot. And they loved each other... And..." Erza realized that his words were in the past tense. Like they were no longer with them. She reached out and tried to comfort him.

"Naruto. It's alright. You don't have to-"

"And they were gone." Naruto lifted his head and looked at her with eyes full of pain. "They were gone for so long when I found them in the tower." Erza watched as he was trying to strengthen his words and tell her something. Something he had to say now. "They were gone before they ever got to say goodbye."

"Naruto...what are you talking about?"

Naruto summoned a pair of strangely wrapped bloody bundles that rested in his arms as he gripped them like a support. "These...these belonged to them." He pulled back a corner of the wrapping and showed the pristine grips and exquisite metal of the two swords. "The Excalibur and Kusanagi blades. These were their prized possessions. And they wanted for their family to keep it with them. Their daughter." He looked up at her as she just looked at his with hope and disbelief.

"Their child Erza."

Erza stared at him as he extended his hands out and placed the graceful swords into her hands. She grabbed the blades and looked at them in her shaky hands, piecing everything he said together. "Wh-what are you saying?"

"Erika Sōko and Kazuya Sakumina. I found them in the catacombs of the Tower of Heaven. They were holding onto these as the last of their belongings that they stole back from the cult. A-And on them" he summoned a small, worn out brown leather book into his hand. "I found this book. That told me about them and their magic...and..."

"And their daughter. You. Erza." Erza looked scared as the realization fully dawned on her. "They were your parents. And they were killed for trying to destroy the tower and get everyone out." He looked up at her as he was being hit by a wave of sorrow at having to tell her this. "I'm sorry Erza. I'm so sorry."

Erza was looking at the swords with empty eyes as her shoulders were shaking and her left eye was tearing up. "Th-they're gone? Th-they're already gone?" Even though she didn't know them, this hurt her unlike anything she had felt before. An overwhelming pain and sadness gripped her heart like how she gripped the swords in her arms. Like her only lifeline to the family she never got to meet.

"Erza..."

"I-I wanted to meet them..." A tear dropped from her eye and fell on her swords. "I wanted to meet them and ask them why we weren't together. M-maybe there was a reason I was taken. O-or maybe they forgot me or left me to save themselves. It hurt...it hurt thinking like that. A-and I didn't forget the idea that they could-the-they could be..."

She clutched them even tighter. Tears falling from her eye like a stream. Naruto just watching as he felt his heart sink and break. Watching her experience this pain.

"I'll never even get to ask them. If they really loved me. I'll-"

"OF COURSE THEY DID!" Naruto grabbed her shoulders and looked at her with renewed fire, even as some tears clouded his eyes. "I read it Erza! I read what they thought and what they did! What they experienced and what they felt being with you! THEY LOVED YOU! THEY LOVED YOU MORE THEN ANYTHING IN THIS WORLD!"

"You were their new beginning to happiness! You were their end to past pain! You were the light that helped them see that they could do great things in the dark world! And you were their last thought! All they wanted was for you to be happy! All they wanted was for you to be free! Just so you could have a life you could enjoy!" Erza looked up at him in shock, as the tears still leaked from her eye. "Whatever you do! Whatever you did! They were happy! They were proud of you!"

He embraced her as tightly as he could as he tried to convey their feelings though his touch. "They wanted you to live a life you could be proud of! And where you could be proud of them! So don't second guess yourself!"

"THEY LOVED YOU ERZA! THEY LOVED THEIR DAUGHTER THE MOST!"

Erza's eyes widened as his proclamation rang out through the cool morning air. Her eyes grew heavy as they started to tear again as she leaned into his embrace even more. The same warmth she had when she was held by her family in the tower. When she was terrified and couldn't go on to the next day. It was like the warmth she had experienced in her dreams.

The warmth of her parents' love.

She dropped the swords and held Naruto back, crying into his shoulder as she let out all her regret and pain. She screamed into the night as it was just her and her friend, lamenting over the fact she couldn't see her parents.

But moving into the future where she lived her life like they wanted. As she wanted.

**########Hunter########**

Makarov Dreyar yawned into his wizened hand as he slumped his way to the guild on his stubby little legs. He had stayed up pretty late last night taking care of Natsu. After he found a strange old book lying on the river bank, he then found the young pink Dragon-Slayer running around the outskirts of town. Screaming something about demons as he held onto an injury on his neck.

When the wizard saint tried to inquire about how he got the scar, the boy just panicked and fell into the fetal position. It took him at least two hours to calm the child back down and get him back home. And after finally getting him to sleep, Makarov only got a few hours of sleep himself. And man was he tired!

So now all he could do was open up the guild early and try to get a nap while he still could.

As the small man rounded the corner to the guild, he came upon an unusual sight. Standing in front of the guild doors was the resident armor girl, looking up at them with a slight smile. And he could make out a second figure standing by her side, obscured by the girl's placement but able to see a tuft of yellow hair.

"Yo, Erza!" The girl looked to her side to see her Master with his staff in hand and a casual wave on his silly face. She ran over to meet him. He looked up and was surprised at what he saw. "What happened?"

Her left eye was red, raw from crying for possibly hours. But even then she had a small, content smile on her face as she looked towards her old mentor. "Oh. It was nothing master. I just had some time to think things over." She sniffed her nose one last time before wiping her eye free of any stray water. "Master. I'd like you to meet my friend."

She turned around and showed off the person who was standing besides her. A boy with sunshine blond hair and whisker marks. With two different colored eyes and a prosthetic limb. The same boy he had been keeping watch over for the last month. Strangely enough, his eyes were also red from crying.

The boy smiled as he walked over to the short man. "So this is Makky huh? Rob-jichan was right. He is short."

The old geezer got mad and blew some steam from his ears. "What has that guy been saying about me?!" Naruto and Erza laughed as the old master played the field with his comedy routine. He could see in their expressions that there was no heated past or malice between them. No boy held no ill will to her or him, and appeared to be happy just standing next to her. He regained his composure and coughed into his hand.

"So young man. What can I do for you?"

**########Hunter########**

Naruto sat on the stool at the bar counter with Erza to his right and Makarov sitting in front of him. He had explained to the old man everything that he believed he should know. Robb's current status. His real origin. His past with Erza. And why he was here. And after the last hour of conversing, Makarov smiled at the boy with some pride.

"Well, you are something else aren't you my boy? Made of some sturdy material for someone your age. No wonder you're friends with Erza, huh? Ahaha!" He patted his back as the boy chuckled and the girl sighed. "Well Naruto, if you really want to join my guild, I would be honored if you did." Naruto looked at him with the widest, joyful gleam in his eyes he could muster from not sleeping all night.

"Really Jiji?"

"Really." The old man leaned over the counter and pulled out a stamp from underneath the top. "Any family of hers is a family of ours. And we would love to have you here with us. What do you say?" Naruto grinned and nodded his head like a mad man.

"Alright! Now all I have to do is give you your tattoo and your in."

"That's all? Wow. I-I thought there was like some great unfathomable initiation you have to go through to join?"

"There used to be. But one of our old guys sort of broke the town doing it so now we just stamp ya and boom. Instant member. Now, where do you want it?"

"Huh? I choose it?"

"Yeah. You can choose anywhere on your body and we will stamp you there." Naruto thought it over and was quite intrigued with the possibilities.

"Has anyone ever done their butt?" Erza smacked him across the head as Makarov just bellowed a laugh at his question. "Ow! Just asking." He nursed the sore spot on his head as he looked over at the pouting girl as she looked in the opposite direction. He then looked down at her arm and saw a dark blue Fairy tattoo on her left bicep. Naruto looked down at his right and smiled.

"Jiji!" The old man stopped his laughing as he saw the boy pointing to the spot on his right arm. Makarov looked between where the boy pointed and where the girl besides him had hers done.

The old man smiled lecherously and giggled like and old pervert as he looked at the younger boy. "My my. Making a proclamation at your age? Aren't we bold?"

"It-it's not like that!"

"What are you two talking about?"

"Nothing!" Naruto gave a pointed glare at the old man as he slapped his knee and laughed. He then stood up and walked over to the boy's arm. He pressed the stamp against his bicep and pushed down, a small light shining from underneath as he did so.

When he pulled off, a black Fairy tattoo was imbedded into his right bicep. Naruto gawked at the sight as he couldn't voice his incomparable joy. Erza smiled happily as Makarov grinned at the boy as a smile grew on his face.

"Welcome to Fairy Tail."

Naruto smiled as he just continued to admire the new addition on his arm. Looking at it from different angles. Erza smiled and stood up from her seat on the stool. "Come on Naruto. I'll show you around the guild before-"

"SUP BITCH!" Erza got a kick to the back of the head as she was sent over the bar and into the bottles of alcohol on the counter. Naruto looked in shock at what had just happened to his best friend as he turned around and looked at the perpetrator.

The girl in question was about his age, maybe a few months younger. She wore a strange gothic like style that didn't leave much to the imagination. She had beautiful, silky white hair and shiny blue eyes. The girl had some nail polish on her fingers and an evil sneer on her face. "That's for not taking my challenge yesterday you skank!"

"N-Nee-chan! What did you do?"

"Mira-Nee! I told you not to go instigating fights with Erza!"

"What? She started it." She dug her finger into her ear as she just smirked and laughed. She then noticed the looks from a new person at the bar counter that just looked at her like she was some different force of nature. She glared at him before walking over to him and putting her face close to his, looking directly into his eyes. "Who are you?"

"I-I'm Naruto. I'm new." He pointed to the newly placed tattoo on his arm.

"Hmmmm?" Mirajane leaned forward even more as she was inspecting his whole body from his spot. He had the same kind of eyes as that damn Erza. And he had something weird going on with his arm. But those whisker things on his face were actually kind of cute. And he wasn't that bad to look at. As a small blush centered on Naruto face from her proximity, she leaned back and crossed her arms, nodding her head.

"Okay. You look stupid but you've got a nice face. You can be a part of by harem when I grow up!"

"Wh-what?"

"MIRA!" The white haired girl turned around and was punched in the face, sending her flying and into the table of several other arriving guild mates. Erza landed on her feet, her eyes blackened out as she was panting from a rush of blood. "I'LL GET YOU FOR THAT!" She lunged forward and attacked the girl on the ground.

"Erza's fighting Mira again!"

"Same old. Same old huh?"

"I wanna join!"

"No Natsu! Bad! Bad!"

Makarov felt a bead of sweat run down his neck as he watched his guild descend into another wave of destruction. And it wasn't even 10:00! As everyone started to fight, he looked over to his newest family member, expecting him to be frightened by the reckless attitude they were showing off to him.

Instead, he saw Naruto watch the entire bar with eyes full of wonder. He watched as they all punched each other. Called each other names and insulted them. But he felt no malice in their words or actions. Even Erza and Mira's fight held no real hatred and harm to each other.

A smile grew on Naruto's face as he watched the whole bar turn into a battle royale. Makarov smiled and nudged the boy's shoulder. "What do you think?" He waited for a moment to hear the boy's answer. Before he turned around with a full faced grin, showing off all of his teeth as he couldn't control his happiness.

"I'm home."

**########Hunter########**

**_Done. Shit that was long. And late. Sorry about that. Can't change it so I won't make excuses. OVA 3_**

**_Anyway, we're here. Finally. Home to Fairy Tail. So since some people asked this, I'll try to clear up this misunderstanding. Naruto is about six months older then Erza. Which is why I made her birthday 4/10, while Naruto's is 10/10. As such, the ages are_**

**_13-Naruto, Erza, Mira; 12- Natsu(?), Gray, Elfman; 11- Lisanna, Levy, Lucy_**

**_Also since you guys seem like experts, I have some questions for you._**

**_1. Current chapters Gildarts, Luxus and Jura. Do you think they come close to the power of the Kages, like Tsunade and A?_**

**_And 2. How many bowls of ramen can Naruto eat realistically? I don't mean like those its his favorite so he can eat forever and ever. I mean I've seen him eat several bowls in the anime and I know he can eat a lot. But how much can he stomach before his gut can't take much more and he has to throw up?_**

**_Just asking_**

**_ReadxReview_**

**_Thanks and Goodbye_**


	12. The Paths You Set For Youself

Titania and The Hunter

Chapter 12: The Paths You Set For Yourself

HaHaHaHaHaHaHaHaHa! Natsu cops a feel of Lucy's sweater puppies. And what magnificent puppies they be. And for once, it's the nephew that does the bad touch to the uncle. And the dragons are outta here!

Whatever.

The Last Of Us. Anyone? Anyone?

**########Hunter########**

_November X778_

Close to the edge of the forest by the side of Magnolia town, there was a little one-story home that was surrounded by trees. It was small in comparison to most houses and domiciles that people live in, more relatable to an apartment than a house, but it was a suitable home for a person who didn't mind appearances.

Inside the little home was a small living room with a couch and table. Connected to the humble opening room was a small, fully stocked kitchen that appeared to have some plates and a fridge by its side. Down the hall by the living room, there were four doors to be seen. Two on the right wall, one on the left, and one leading to the empty space behind the house.

The first door opened to a messy bedroom. With smelly and used clothes flung on the floor and hanging by the side of an unmade bed. Fliers and requests nailed to a board on the wall. In the closet were sets of differently colored shirts and long black pants. With several spare long cloaks with hoods hung up in case of convenience. Besides the bed, there was a small cupboard that had several pictures placed on top of it. In each of them was a massively grinning blond boy; either with a scarlet girl, a white-haired teen, or a groups of younger boys, girls and a cat.

In the second bedroom, there was another bed that was still pristine and appeared unused. Several other articles of clothing, weapons and some jewels were laid out on the mattress. Some boxes and gifts given by grateful clients and guild friends were laid across the room.

On the left wall was a bathroom. A bathtub, a shower and sink that had towels placed all across it in an uncaring manner.

And outside the last door, behind the small house were the sounds of tired grunts ringing out through the dying trees. Out in the growing autumn wind, the brown and orange leaves fell and landed in large groups in the clearing. And in the middle of the clearing was a young blond teenager, with his artificial arm behind his back tightly holding a large boulder over him.

He pushed down on his slightly glowing right hand.

"953, 954, 955..."

Drops of sweat dripped down his whiskered face as he took several deep breathes with each consecutive push up. He continued his morning work out as he concentrated on the task at hand.

A few feet away from him, the sound of swords slashing through empty space echoed in his ears. A young scarlet-haired girl dressed in a skirt and simple white blouse was practicing her sword use with a broad-sword and katana. Her movements and slashes were quick and precise, cutting through any stray leaves that came in her path. She continued her sword style practice as the boy started to finish up his weighted training?

"999, 1000." Naruto pushed off his hand and let the boulder fall to his side, getting a loud crash as the large rock settled into the ground. He sat with his legs crossed as he rotated his sore shoulder, feeling the layer of sweat over his whole frame. He took in several deep breathes as he felt himself loosen from his work out and lay back with the boulder as his support. He looked over his shoulder, "How's it going Erza?"

"Give me a minute." Erza concentrated on her swordsmanship as she swung her swords as fast as she could and cut down the branches of a dying tree. Before the wood could even start descending to the ground, Erza swung Excalibur and Kusanagi in a flash of shining light as Naruto awed at her skill. She moved like a flying feather, swift and elegant but fierce and captivating. Her talent for swords far outdid his in most senses of the understanding. And anyone who saw her move would completely agree with that statement.

She landed effortlessly on her feet, her blades in a reverse grip as she held out her arms for balance. And as the branches started coming closer to the yard, they started to separate and fall into piles of cleanly cut wood. After several moments, all of the chopped wood laid by the Fairy girl's feet as she wiped a head of sweat off her brow. She looked over to where her friend was watching her with a smile on his face. "How do you think I did?"

"As well as you always do, of course." The newly turned 14 year old said as he stood back up and tried to wipe some of the sweat off of his face. "I have to cut training and you had to come and make sure I made it. Why are we in such a hurry today again?" Erza sighed tiredly as she walked up to Naruto and slapped him across the head, earning a groan from the slap marked Jinchūriki.

"Stupid. I've told you several times already, we are traveling with the Master to Era for an important meeting." She grabbed Naruto by the collar of his black shirt and dragged him reluctantly into his house as he grumbled in annoyance. As she tossed him inside, she walked in and closed the back door. She then quickly turned around and pushed a surprised Naruto into the bathroom. "Wash up and get ready ok."

"Awwww. Do I have to?"

"Yes! Now!" Naruto sighed and shut the bathroom door as Erza smirked at her victory. The scarlet girl stood in the hallway as a bright light consumed her. When it had died down, she stood in her best friend's new home wearing her trademark simple armor. She looked herself over as she nodded and started to walk around the simple housing complex Naruto had bought over the last few months.

After he had first arrived, Naruto didn't have any place to stay in for the foreseeable future. Erza had offered to allow temporary housing for him in the Hill, but after some serious reconsidering and chiding from the other residents, she decided to retract the offer.

After which, he got offers for some of the other members of the guild. Natsu promised that if Naruto could beat him in a fight, he would let the new member stay in his house. After a quick and humiliating defeat at the hands of the whiskered boy, the dragon slayer was forced to let him stay. Of course since the two were having an argument over who was stronger and were settling it with their fists, the dirty shack didn't last very long as a suitable home.

Then some of the older members gave him invitations. He stayed in the basement of the guild for a fair amount of time. Even Mirajane gave him an open dorm to stay with her and her siblings. Elfman nodding nervously and Lisanna happily interested in learning more about the cool new blond Mage that seemed to know Erza personally. And Mira was the most interested in having the cute new boy join her team and abandon Erza's group.

Naruto had no idea what she was talking about. But Erza just grew angrier and angrier at the white-haired hussy.

So finally, Master Makarov offered him a similar place to live in like he did for Natsu when he first arrived in Magnolia. All he had to do was take some jobs and earn enough jewels to buy the place for himself. So starting from there, the boy took all types of requests and missions with all kinds of rewards and difficulty. And he took on each challenge he faced with a steady hand and a big grin on his face. And of course, she would help him out whenever he went on a bigger mission then usual.

Finally, after several months of saving up and paying back expenses for his damages, he bought this shabby little house on the edge of the town's square. And he couldn't love it more.

Erza looked up at an old clock on the wall and saw that she was losing herself in thought. She walked back into the hall and opened the bathroom door that Naruto washing himself in. "Naruto-"

"E-Erza! D-don't barge in!"

"We're going to be late if you don't hurry up."

"Then you go on without me." Naruto kept the towel he grabbed off the floor and covered his crotch from his undisturbed friend. "I'll catch up."

"Okay. I'll see you there." Erza closed the door with a nod as Naruto stood there, in his birthday-suit, as he heard her boots resound off the floor as she walked away. After a moment, he heard the front door open and then close behind her as she left. He then fell to his butt and breathed out a hefty sigh.

"She's insane." Naruto said to himself as he let out a little chuckle as he noticed his friend's odd take on privacy and decency. Naruto finished his clean up and walked to his room. He pulled out a pair of drawers, pants and a shirt to wear for the day.

As Naruto pulled up his pants, Naruto looked around his room and at the pictures he had of his friends and family in Fairy Tail. He smiled fondly as he saw images of himself, happier then he had ever been in his entire life while he was surrounded by his friends.

He stood there with a big, wide smile plastered across his face. An arm around the shoulder of a grinning Gray. A playful headlock around an angry but obviously happy Natsu with Happy waving at the camera atop his head. One the right of Naruto, Erza was standing off to the side, a smile on her face as she stood confidently. Surprisingly, Mirajane had an arm wrapped around the scarlet girl's shoulder as she brought her in to a one arm hug and gave the camera a peace sign. On the left, Cana, Levy and Lisanna stood together and waved while Elfman was quite squeamish about having any attention on him. In the background, some of the adults were laughing while Laxus just shook his head tiredly.

Naruto pulled his long sleeved shirt over his head and pulled out one of the black cloaks laying on the floor. Naruto stormed out of his room and out of his house as he ran to his second home.

Off to Fairy Tail.

**########Hunter########**

"Erza! Let me come too! It's not fair!" A fiery pink haired boy yelled as he complained to the cool armored red head girl sitting patiently at the bar. Erza shook her head as she turned exhaustingly to the Dragon-Slayer.

"Natsu, we aren't going on a vacation. This is a very serious matter that Master has invited Naruto and I to attend."

"But that sounds so exciting! So let me join you guys!"

"No! And that is final!" Erza walked away from the counter and tried to ignore Natsu's pestering. Of course...this was Natsu she was trying to discourage.

"Hell No!" Natsu's hands burst into intense red flames as he cut off Erza's straight path. "If I can beat you, then Jiji will have no choice but to take me with him!" Erza just looked at him blankly as a collective sigh rang throughout the guild hall.

"Do you really think you will do any better then last time?"

"Of course! I'm a whole lot stronger then I was last time!"

"You mean yesterday?"

"Yeah!"

Erza continued to look at him with no change in her features before she smiled and nodded her head. "Good. I'm very proud of that spirit of yours Natsu."

"Great, so let's-"

"So I promise to give you my utmost attention and effort." Slowly, a black shadow spread over Natsu's form as he looked up at the growing image of a scarlet-haired demon caressing a blade in her hands. Her shadowed face revealed two harshly glaring blue and brown eyes as a white gap looking like a smile spread through the darkness. **"Ready?"**

"U-ummm...c-can I reconsider this?"

**"No."**

"KYAAAAAAHHHHHHH!" Natsu desperately tried to escape the sword Erza was swinging as she chased him through the hall. You could almost see a maniacal glint in the eye of the armor girl as she chased the screaming boy only a hair's width away from receiving her wrath.

Mira was sitting at a table with her siblings. She was watching the confrontation with a pitiful shake of her head as Lisanna and Elfman were paying more attention to the cerulean kitten in the youngest girl's lap. "Seriously. Does that idiot ever learn?"

"Mira-Nee! Don't insult Natsu like that!" Her younger sister reprimanded her for her insult against the pink-haired simpleton.

"Aw come on Lisanna, the honeymoon phase has gotta end at some point." The youngest Take-Over sister blushed at her sister's blunt use of the phrase. "I mean, you've already got the kid." She pointed to the strange young kitten munching on some fish. "Your daddy is stupid, isn't he little guy?"

"Aye!"

"See."

"Nee-chan, don't use Happy to insult Natsu like that."

"What? He doesn't know the difference. He would agree to anything. He's stupid like that. You're stupid, aren't you?"

"Aye!"

"The sky is red, isn't it?"

"Aye!"

"I'm the Queen of the guild, right?"

"Nope."

"See, agrees with- wait a sec! You little-"

"Erza!" Makarov yelled as he appeared with Gildarts from the storage in the back. "We've got to get going soon. Drop what you're doing and get ready." Erza did just that as she let go off the chokehold she had around Natsu's purple neck.

"Yes Master."

"Hey guys!" Naruto waved to everyone as he walked through the doors of the guild as he got several welcomes from anyone who heard him.

"Naruto!" Natsu got back to his feet and ran up to his blond friend. "Are you seriously going with Jii-chan to this Era place? I want to come!"

"Hehe. Sorry Natsu. Just us today."

"Then I'll kick your ass before that!" Natsu pulled his fist back and set it aflame. "Fire Dragon's Iron Fist!"

Naruto smirked as he blocked the burning fist with his left hand and grabbed Natsu's extended arm. He turned around and flipped a screaming Natsu over his head and into the floor. He let go of the younger boy's arm and left the spinning eyed boy on the ground. "Close buddy. But not quite yet."

"Ow."

Naruto walked over to the table where his friends waved him over. "Hey guys. What's up?"

Mirajane looked off aimlessly. "Gray and Cana went off on a mission with Macao and Wakaba. And Levy went off with her new team with Jet and Droy."

"And the asshole?"

"Laxus is still out on a mission," Elfman answered. "I don't think it is a good idea to antagonize him like that Naruto. You know how he gets." Naruto just clicked his tongue in reluctant acknowledgement.

After Naruto had first joined Fairy Tail, he had easily become friends with most of the younger group except for the older blond. He had attempted to make friends with Laxus but he was unwilling to go the extra mile to work with Naruto.

And then, over the last few months, he had started to change. Showing phases of superiority and hostility to the rest of the guild. Even his own grandfather.

"Pfft, just cause that bastard is strong, thinks he can look down on us like that." Naruto punched his fist into his palm as he smirked. "Well, maybe I'll just have to knock him down a few pegs."

"Don't underestimate him Naruto." Mira stated evenly as she smiled at the quirky blond across from her. "Get yourself to S-class status and then you can think of challenging him." Naruto gave her a confident smirk.

"And you're underestimating me if you think potential for S-classes or stronger opponents would frighten me. I would give him I serious run for his money." He leaned next to Lisanna and looked at a curious Happy. "You think I can do it, right Happy?"

"Kitty!"

"No Happy. Not a Kitty. Naruto."

"Kitty!"

"Not a Kitty.

"Kitty!"

"At least call me Neko-man."

"Kitty!"

"...Fine. Kitty it is."

"Aye!"

"Naruto, come on! We've got to go!" Naruto looked over his shoulder to where Erza and Master were standing at the door with Gildarts at their side. He got up and waved to his friends and the recovering Natsu. He joined them by their side.

Makarov looked up at Gildarts sternly. "We'll be gone for a day at most. Everyone is either already out on a job or just resting. Don't fuck anything up while we're gone, alright."

"Aw come on old man," the ace of Fairy Tail said as he waved his hand dismissively. "Hehe, you know I can't make that promise."

"Yes, well, at least keep the damages to a minimum."

"Once again. No promises."

"Let's go!" Naruto pulled the old munchkin by his collar and grabbed Erza's hand, running down the street as they headed for their destination.

**########Hunter########**

Naruto and Erza gaped at the sight of the beautiful and intricate building that made up the capital of the magical council. It's walls, statues and columns filled their eyes as they could see human-sized frogs and Rune Knight soldiers walking everywhere they could see.

"W-Wow! This is amazing!" Naruto ran forward and into the grassy courtyard of the building. Behind him, Makarov showed the guards their identification and summons card, with Erza still amazed by the sights in front of her.

"Naruto! Don't wander off!" Makarov walked up next to the young lad as he stood there patiently for the old Master. "This is the capital of magic in our country. They are very strict about how to behave and act on these premises" the old master said with his eyes closed and his staff in hand.

"Master, why did the Magical Council ask that Naruto come here?"

"It's alright Erza, they just have a few questions they want to ask him about a report they received" he crossed his arms and dropped his playful attitude that they were accustomed to. "Naruto, these people have very little room for error. I try my best but I'm still on their shit list even after all this time. I know it will be hard but I've got to ask you to keep any of your antics to their lowest level. I'll help you through any and all questions you have trouble answering. So don't worry, we'll be by your side at all times.

"Do you understand Naruto?"

"Master...Naruto left a while ago." The old man looked to Erza in shock and then looked to his side, seeing that the blond really was missing. He looked all around him to no avail.

"WHAT! WHERE HAS THAT IDIOT GONE NOW?!" All of the magical council subordinates looked to the little man in shock.

"I'll find him Master! Don't worry!" Erza ran off in another direction as Makarov looked in horror.

"NO, NOT YOU TOO! THAT WILL ONLY MAKE THIS WORSE!" Makarov was left alone in the courtyard as he fell to his knees in jaded horror, grabbing his head tightly. _'Damn! Damn! Damn It! I-I-if those two run amok in the council-'_

**Breaking News!**

**Fairy Tail Destroys Fiore Nation's Magical Capital! War Declared On Rogue Guild!**

Makarov went as white as a sheet as he knew that those two would cause nothing but problems for him in this place. He fell on his face as he resigned to wait for the Rune Knights to come and arrest him for treason. He heard soft and frequent foot steps come behind him as he knew it was his time.

"Are you just going to lay on your face for the whole day or are you going to say hello to your old friend?"

Makarov got off his face and turned over his shoulder. He saw an equally short and wrinkly old man with a split hat looking at him with a smile. "Oh, Yammy, thank god that's you." He pulled himself back to his feet, "I think I'm going to have to call in a favor from you."

"Hehe, what for exactly?"

"I think there's about to be a lot of commotion about some of the youngsters I brought along with me. And I seriously doubt that I will be able to pay for the damages they will cause." The old master of Fairy Tail looked downcast as he thought of the consequences about to occur.

"Aw come on Makky, what else do you expect?" Yammy walked back towards the building with a happy smirk. "If the next generation weren't a bunch of trouble makers, it wouldn't really be Fairy Tail, would it?"

**########Hunter########**

"Naruto! Naruto! Where are you?" The scarlet-haired girl yelled with her cupped hands as she tried to find her missing best friend.

She was garnering the attention of many soldiers and members as she yelled as loud as she could. Erza walked through a long open pathway as she tried to find Naruto.

"Little Lady," Erza looked over to several older soldiers walking over to her. The first man bent down and asked with a sincere tone in his voice, "are you lost? Do you need some help finding your guardian?"

"Have you seen a blond boy in black? About this tall? With whiskers?"

The soldiers all looked between each other questioningly. "Um, well we-"

"Too slow!" Erza head-butted the crouching soldier in the face, knocking him out. The two other soldiers behind him looked at the downed man in shock, and then back up at the girl. "What about you two?"

The men screamed and ran away as fast as they could, grabbing their fallen friend by his shoulders and disappearing from the girl's sight.

Erza stood there with pinhole eyes as a cold wind sweapt over her, flapping her skirt. "That's odd. How am I suppose to find Naruto if they can't help me?"

"I believe that they were just surprised by your serious attitude. Granted, I don't really blame them." Erza perked up when she heard the new voice make itself known behind her. She turned around to address him and-

"But then again I did hear that you were one to go to extremes to fulfill what it is you are after. I happen to admire that in a person." Erza's heterochromic eyes widened in shock as she looked at the young man standing before her.

The same deep blue hair that she could recognize easily in any crowd. An exquisite tattoo that surrounded his entire right eye. Wearing a long white uniform that gave off a feeling of superiority. A smile on his face that showed that he had no concern about anything that was happening.

A smile she was very familiar with.

Erza said in a shocked whisper, "J-Jellal?"

"Hello Erza Scarlet-San. My name is Siegrain."

**########Hunter########**

Naruto stood on the roof of one of the corresponding buildings of the main structure. He covered his eyes of the sun as he looked out over the large area around the capital.

He could see small homes and fields as far as the eye could see. Mountains and clouds as far as the horizon. Naruto laughed wholeheartedly at the sight, "This is amazing! Do these council guys get to see this all the time?"

Naruto stood up and looked below him at the courtyards and training fields. "I wonder what these guys do all day?"

"Hey You!" Naruto looked down and saw several frogs and men looking up at him harshly. "Get Down From There This Instant!" Naruto laughed and started to run across the roof, getting the annoyed yells of all the people below him.

Naruto chuckled as he felt far more invigorated and excited to be in this new environment then back in Magnolia. So he wasn't going to let this experience be ruined by anyone.

But just as he was running by the edge of the roof, it mysteriously crumbled to dust and left the boy hanging in the air.

"Eh-AHHHHHHHHHHH!"

Naruto plummeted towards the ground quickly as his cloak was flapping in the wind. He was heading straight for a bronze statue of an older Mage that was standing in the courtyard. He panicked and sent a wave of magical power to cover his body before impact.

He crashed and destroyed the statue's top into pieces. Naruto laid in the uprooted ground as he held his aching head in pain. He stumbled to his feet before he was surrounded by several men and frogs, all looking at him like he had just committed a sin. He was lifted to his feet and brought to one of the older men's face. "Okay kid. Do you know what you just did?"

"I just busted my head on some old guy's head."

"You just destroyed the statue of one of the founding members of the Magical Council!"

"That is a crime punishable by 20 years at least!"

"Seriously?"

"You are in a lot of trouble kid."

"Wait-wait-wait! I'm sure my guild master can pay for this. It's no problem."

"This statue is irreplaceable and priceless! You wouldn't be able to pay for that is less then several decades!"

"Why The Fuck Would You Keep Something Like That In The Courtyard For Anyone To Reach If It Was Priceless?!"

"Tradition!"

"But he is right about our choice of aesthetic placement. We really need to keep such important figures under lock if we are going to be so anal about their treatment." All of the people there stopped their antics and looked towards the statue that had suddenly talked. Suddenly, it started to come back into piece and form into its perfect condition. Naruto was shocked before he saw a figure appear from behind the statue.

"But you really should be letting him go. He's our honored guest for the day." The girl that had appeared from behind the figure was a young, dark-purple haired girl with her hair in a ponytail. She was wearing a white kimono that cut off at her thighs. She had a pleasant smile on her face as she looked down at the whiskered boy. "We invited him after all."

"Of course Ultear-sama." All of the adults got on one knee and bowed to the young and pretty girl. Before standing back up and walking away from the two younger mages. Naruto looked around himself and saw that it was just the two of them.

He pushed himself up to his feet, "Um, thanks. That was really cool what you did with the statue."

Ultear lifted her long-sleeved hand and giggled lightly behind it. "Thank you very much for your compliment. I am very confident in my abilities. I was actually quite surprised how you were able to break it so easily."

"Yeah. I have a pretty hard head." He tapped the top of his skull for emphasis as he laughed. "People say it takes them forever to take me down."

"Oh, and who exactly was it that told you that?"

"Eh, I don't know. Bandits, criminals, thieves, anyone in general that wants to fight me. The list goes on." Naruto swung his arms behind his head as he shrugged his shoulders.

"Huh? I-I see." Ultear let a drop of sweat run down her head at the nonchalant way he just said people try to kill him. "Well, I am very interested in seeing the extent of your magical abilities for myself."

Naruto turned his head. "Oh, sure. But how exactly do you want to do that?"

Ultear tilted her head and gave him an innocent smile.

**########Hunter########**

"Can I ask why you seem to be so tense in front of me at the moment?"

"I'm not tense at all."

"Of course not." Siegrain smirked from the other end of the blade at his neck. Almost instantly after he had introduced himself, the scarlet girl had summoned a sword and held him up against the wall. Her eyes completely focused in anger and worry at the other boy. "Can I ask what's wrong?"

"Don't toy with me Jellal. What. Are. You. Doing. Here!"

Siegrain looked surprised at her statement before looking down with a sad smile. "I'm not Jellal. Believe me. I wish I could help but," he looked back up at Erza as she matched his look. After a moment, she lowered her sword and Requiped it back into her space.

"Who are you?"

Siegrain removed himself from his space on the wall and fixed his clothes. "My name is Siegrain. And the man you knew as Jellal was my twin." Erza's eyes widened in shock.

"What? That's impossible! Jellal never told me he had a brother!"

"I'm not surprised. We were separated by our parents at birth. I only learned the truth about his existence a few years ago from my mother. I actually joined this council so that I could locate him. But, unfortunately" he looked up at Erza, who was looking at him with a combination of disbelief and attention, "you know the rest of that story."

Erza waited a moment before she asked the question that had plaqued both her and Naruto's mind for years now. "Where is he?"

Siegrain was quiet before he settled against the wall once again. "I lost track of his location a year ago. I've tried many times to find him, but I was never successful. Your guess is about as good as mine about where he is now. I'm sorry."

Erza looked down as her hopes were dashed about where her friend could be. She felt a hand land on her shoulder as she looked up at Siegrain.

"I promise that I shall find him one day. And then you can have your time to reconcile with each other. But until then" he walked past the stunned girl before putting his hands into his pocket. "Let's go see how Naruto is doing, shall we?"

Erza was brought out of her slum and looked over at him in shock. He looked over his shoulder at the girl, "If you were wondering, of course I knew who he was. I'm the one who asked for his summon. Come along, Erza."

Erza stood there silently for a moment as Siegrain's footsteps clicked down the hall. She had a far off look in her eye as she raised her head.

He seemed genuinely hurt, missing his long lost brother. But only for a moment. Then, lost in a moment, she saw it. A smirk that was hiding something dark and sinister. Something he was hiding for himself.

Something that reminded her of Jellal. Him in those last few moments.

She followed behind him and stayed quiet. Whoever he really was, he couldn't be trusted.

**########Hunter########**

Naruto back-flipped away from the speeding teal ball that was aimed at his face. He landed and continued to evade as the ball continued to follow him and break into the ground beneath him. Naruto dashed from side to side as he made a bee-line towards the confident girl on the other side of the training field.

Ultear smiled and started to bounce on her feet as Naruto summoned Kusanagi into his hand. He landed in front of her and started to swipe his sword at her quickly, she smiled as she dodged the slashes by a minuscule margin.

Ultear aimed a kick at his face which he leaned back to dodge. As Naruto jumped back, he heard the sound of her orb flying through the air behind him. In a burst of speed, Naruto spun around and slashed the orb in half.

The pieces floated in the air for a moment before connecting back together and smashing him in the face. As Naruto stumbled back, the orb floated back over to Ultear's arm where she held it on her elbow. "You are quite spry for a young man, Naruto-San."

Naruto stood back up and rubbed his sore jaw. "And you have an annoyingly useful magic, Ultear-San." He smiled and readied himself back into his stance.

"Wh-what is that idiot doing at a time like this?!" Erza gripped the rail of the training area of the Rune Knights as she watched Naruto continue to dodge and throw every attack he could at the other girl.

"Hehe, it appears that Naruto is having a quick little spar with Ultear."

"How did that happen?" Erza screamed as she grabbed Siegrain by his collar. "Why don't you stop him from hurting her?"

"What makes you think that he would hurt her?" Erza looked at him in surprise before looking back at fight at hand. She watched as despite all of his efforts, the girl and her floating orb were evading all of his attacks. And whenever there was an opening, the girl sent her orb to attack him that would almost land against his form. In all, the girl seemed like she was holding the advantage to the fight.

"She is a proud member of the Magical Council. And my personal assistant for issues. She is also undefeated in this spars against captains of the Rune Knights. And the wielder of an extremely rare magic, Arc of Time. If you want to be worried about someone, it should be your friend." Erza looked away from Siegrain and back to Naruto's struggle against the experienced Mage.

"This has been a lot of fun Naruto-San, but we do have other matters to attend to. So please don't mind that we end this fight shortly." She stretched out her hand and her orb flowed toward her fingers.

"Okay. Lets see what this brings us, huh?" Naruto crossed his blade in front of him and lowered himself into a low stance.

He ran forward and jumped up towards the girl with his sword over her head. Ultear moved her hand and the orb followed in turn. With each swipe Naruto's blade made, the orb was there to parry it. And with each piece it was cut into, there was that many more pieces for him to fight against.

As Ultear switched her feet forward and swung her leg in a hook against Naruto's arm, he was momentarily stunned by the move. The pieces of orb started to crash against his back and sides. Naruto continued to try and stop the orb but Ultear's time magic proved his attacks were futile.

Suddenly, all of the pieces disappeared from sight as Naruto was left stunned by her action. He looked around him at all of the floating, slightly translucent orbs that covered him in a dome. They all slowly moved and floated around him, aimed at his position.

Ultear smirked as she pointed an elegant finger at his form, "Flash Forward."

All of the orbs converged at his point and destroyed the area around him. Smoke and rubble floated up into the air as Ultear was left the only figure to be seen on the training field. Up in the rails, Siegrain smirked and looked over to Erza with her eyes shadowed by her hair.

"So Erza, what do you think? We're not so incompetent in the field of battle as you thought, huh?" Erza slowly nodded her head in agreement. "Do we need to get a doctor to check-up on him?"

"Four days."

Siegrain looked over to Erza, "What, I'm sorry?"

"Four days. That's how many times a week I have training sessions with Naruto using swordsmanship. He also wakes up every morning before the sun to do a regular training session of running around Magnolia 5 times. And then he returns to practice his fighting techniques using his magic if needed." She lifted her head and continued to talk about her friend with a small smile on her face.

"And when he takes a mission, he usually takes the jobs that deal with capturing criminals and stopping monsters. He hits some rough patches and causes some damage but he has always finished his job. And even when he was outnumbered and outmatched, he never stopped fighting until he was the last one standing."

Ultear summoned her orb back into her hands and started to walk back to a safer distance from the smoke covered area. "Hey, hey Ultear-San~, what was that?"

Ultear's eyes widened in surprise as she turned around just in time to see a clawed hand closing in on her face. She desperately dodged to her side as the projectile attack cut through the end of her hair and flew into the wall behind her, leaving an imprint of an animal's claw imbedded into the concrete.

Ultear looked from where the attack landed to the dust cloud. In the thicket of dust and smoke, the boy's figure could be seen with an aura of light surrounding his entire body. The large light compressed and lowered until it was roughly several inches away from touching his skin. Naruto lifted his head, showing bruises and blood dripping down the corner of his mouth and forehead, and gave the council girl an extremely eager smile.

"This fight didn't end as quickly as you thought."

Ultear narrowed her eyes and got into a stance of her own. Jellal had a look of slight surprise as he could see the smiling blond walk forward with his magic surrounding his entire body. And Erza folded her arms with a proud smile across her face as her partner/student/friend got ready to fight again. "He takes on all of his jobs with such tenacity, that he's made a little name for himself in the guild."

Jellal crossed his arms over the rail and watched the rest of the fight with glee. "The Hunter."

Naruto ran forward with his sword at the ready, aiming for the girl across from him. Ultear jumped back and sent her lacrima straight towards his head. Naruto jerked forward and smashed the ball with his forehead, shattering it on contact.

He jumped in the air and let his sword go out of his hand. Turning mid-jump, Naruto pulled back and kicked his copied sword at the stunned girl. She clenched her teeth and held her hand out at the incoming blade. The sword rusted and then crumbled to dust before it could touch her, leaving her unharmed.

As Ultear settled back, she realized that Naruto had disappeared from her sights. She turned around in time to see Naruto behind her in a crouch, looking up at her. With his smile back on his face the magic around his hands extended at the middle's fingertips, forming what appeared to be blades that shimmered with light.

Naruto swiped his hand-blades at Ultear, making her retreat in an attempt to distance herself from him. Despite her efforts, the Armor magic cut at the edges of her kimono and ends of her hair. Ultear clicked her teeth, skipping her feet next to his as he left himself open for a counterattack with his arms out wide.

She grabbed his hands at the wrists and jumped up, placing her feet against his chest. In a show of amazing acrobatics, she flipped them both over and threw him across the training field. As Naruto landed on his back, Ultear used her hands to push herself off the ground and back to her feet. She raised her hands and Reversed the time of her broken orb, bringing it back to her hands.

As Naruto jumped back to his feet and continued their little brawl, Erza and Jellal both watched their colleagues intense match.

"I'm quite amazed by his choices of magic. The ability to copy any weapon he touches and to cloak himself in a field of his own basic magical power. Most mages would dismiss these styles as a waste of their time. Not much destructive power or originality in their premise. But he seems to be countering those weaknesses with his own ideas." Jellal smiled. "Shaping the form of his outline to give him an advantage in battle using any shape or form he can imagine. And using his weapons as distractions against his opponents to dismiss the idea that he could do these things. Very clever."

Erza watched as Naruto continued to change the forms of his Armor to assist in his fight against the time Mage. From a short blade, to separated claws and even making the space around his fist bigger for stronger punches. The results of months of back breaking training and effort making themselves known in the fight.

Ultear jumped back once again and sent her orb out in a Forward toward the whiskered boy. Naruto stood strong as he sent a mass amount of magic into his foot, letting it glow with a faint light. He jumped up to the same level as the ball and sent a wide kick out towards the speeding lacrima.

"Soaring Breaker!" The light from his foot flew off at amazing speed and shattered the ball into pieces. Ultear aimed her hand to fix it the orb but Naruto was already next to it, grinning like an idiot as she looked at him in shock. His hands swiped forward and grabbed each significant piece between his fingers, stopping her ability to fix her on-hand weapon. "Can't fix it if it can't come together, right?"

Naruto clenched his left fist, crushing the pieces even more, and sent a pulse of magic into it. He fell towards Ultear as he readied for a final attack. "Flying-"

"IDIOT!" A long arm came out of nowhere and punched Naruto across the face, getting all of the young mages to look on in shocked surprise as Naruto was sent flying and his attack was thrown of course. Erza and the council duo looked up to where Makarov and Yajima were standing, the guild master nearly visibly fuming in anger at his child's actions. "WHAT ARE YOU DOING TAKING THIS MATCH SO SERIOUSLY?"

"M-Master?"

Naruto came out of the small crater, stumbling and clutching his aching noggin. "Damn it Jiji, what did you do that for?!" Naruto completely ignored his prior engagement with Ultear as he walked passed her, Erza and Siegrain and up to the tiny man. "I was in the middle of a fight! I was having fun too!"

"You think I'll just let you wreck havoc because you were having fun you little brat! You're causing more and more trouble every moment!"

"Well if your were going to stop me, WHY'D YOU HAVE TO HIT ME IN THE HEAD?"

"CAUSE YOUR HEAD'S SO GOD DAMN HARD ITS THE ONLY WAY TO KNOCK ANY SENSE INTO YOU!"

"THAT'S NO WAY TO TREAT YOUR KIDS! ERZA," he walked up to his stunned friend, "tell Jiji that he shouldn't be interrupting my fights!"

Erza looked between her angry best friend and her impatient Master as the old man behind him laughed. "Um, Naruto, I really don't think that's a good enough reason to be so angry with Master."

"Ahhhh, you don't get it!" Naruto clutched his head and shook around in annoyance. "Hey Jellal, tell them that they shouldn't be interrupting my fi-"

...

"JELLAL!" Naruto stood back in shock as he saw his former best friend's face smiling at him sweetly.

"Nope. Sorry. I'm Siegrain. Close though."

"Wh-wh-what the hell is going on here?!"

"Hohoho, I think we should all calm down and get moving towards the main hall. And we can explain all of these misunderstanding on the way." Yajima said as he lowered the tension of the rather hostile air around him. "Come along Makky. Bring the kids."

Ultear stood there in the training field, looking up as Naruto was yelling in confusion about the events around him. Siegrain was chuckling wholeheartedly and Erza was trying to calm him down by explaining the situation. But almost immediately, he started an argument with his Master again as they got into a fierce staring contest.

As she stood there, she looked over to the side where his last stray attack had run off to. The stone was destroyed and crumbled, leaving almost nothing but dust in the large crater that was aimed at her. She was sure that she could handle this boy all on her own, not even resorting to using half of her power to take care of the fight. But then he just started outdo himself, making his attacks crisper and more ferocious.

She was warned by her master about what this boy could do if he was being pushed into it. She had seen what he could do, having to fix the broken ship and help tend her master's injuries after the fight was done. This boy was dangerous to anyone who provoked him. Which was why she deliberately made sure not to rust the metal off his arm. From what Master Hades told her, if she did that, she would have been met with quite a brutal end.

Her master even acknowledged that the boy would be a fierce enemy to battle in the future. And even though Hades was weak, injured and recovering from surgery at the time of the fight, this boy had still pushed him farther then she had seen anyone push him during her time.

She raised her hand and her perfect weapon floated down back into her grasp. And underneath the shadow of her hair, she smirked menacingly.

This boy was so much fun. To be able to push her stubborn master so far that he was now interested in recruiting new blood was no small feat. And the name he had received in her guild was starting to make perfect sense.

Naruto Uzumaki. The Impossible Demon Child.

**########Hunter########**

"Now, let this calling of Fairy Tail Mage Naruto Uzumaki, come to session." A gavel was knocked on the wood as the court was called into session. Erza and Makarov sat in witness seats as Naruto stood at the plaintiff stand, completely lost on what was going on around him.

The slightly bandaged Naruto grumbled and leaned against the stand lazily as the old council members started listing off several mentions of little importance. After about 30 minutes of explanations from Erza and Yamija, Naruto learned about who this Siegrain guy really was. Apparently, he was Jellal's brother who was abandoned at birth and was searching for his whereabouts.

Personally, he thought that was bullshit. Him and Jellal talked for hours about what it was like to have a family. And he never made a single hint of a sibling. But this Siegrain guy was too calm to be the Jellal he remembered. After what he had become, he never thought that Jellal would have another same thought in his lifetime.

So that only left him on his watch list.

"Now, Naruto Uzumaki" Naruto perked up at the mention of his name. "Do you know why you are here today?" Naruto looked to all of the council members, then to his guild-mates, and then back to them and shrugged his shoulder. "I'm not surprised. You've probably been in the dark about this entire situation, my dear boy?"

"This is about a report we received earlier this year about an encounter you may have had with a certain guild. And we wish to shed some light on the subject so that we can better understand your circumstances."

"Oh! Do you mean about those guys from Grimoire Heart?"

"... I beg your pardon?"

"This about the fight I had with that dark guild, right?"

There was a loud commotion between the council members as Siegrain and Ultear laughed at Naruto's confusion. Makarov sighed in anguish as Erza did the same into her hands. The ruckus died down and order was brought back into the court. "We will wish to ask you more questions about this after the hearing is done if you don't mind?"

Naruto looked at them with a vacant stare. "Super."

"No Naruto-kun, this involves another group you met." Yajima said, taking control of the situation. "A more...troublesome group. Damnation." Naruto's eyes slowly widened in realization as he straightened himself up to stand. "We would like it if you could give us any information and insight on your experiences with the group."

"Alright."

"Now Naruto Uzumaki," Org stood up and addressed the young man. "Who was it that you intervened against in the town of Acacia in March of this year? Did he give you a name or any identification that you can remember?"

"Oh, um, he said" Naruto scratched his head as he thought back to his fight more then half a year ago. "it was Mordreau. This big bulky guy with a seriously twisted idea about what he thought was right." When he said that, several frogs started to write down what he said like it was actually significant.

"Alright. Now, did you notice anything that they were doing that was out of the ordinary? Something that they were looking for or talking about?"

"What? Do you mean besides the fact that they were destroying people's homes, killing some guy by crushing his skull and about to massacre about a dozen people because they were in the general vicinity of a run-away?" The boy said condescendingly as he was asked a question that he thought irrelevant.

The council just looked at him seriously, not dignifying his response with an answer. A small cat-like man said to the young Mage, "Answer the question boy."

Naruto narrowed his eyes, "I think they were checking each of the hostages for something. They said something about large magic supplies and...I don't know, something else they mentioned."

"What was it? You have to remember!"

"I-um-I can't. It was awhile ago, these little details are all kind of fuzzy."

"That isn't enough! You have to remember everything you can!" Michello bellowed in anger.

"Why?! Why does this matter if I fought some asshole in a broken town or not?!"

"Boy! Do you understand the severity of the issue at hand?!"

"No! No I don't! All I know is that you guys are peeing yourself over nothing and I'm being blamed for some reason! You know what!" Naruto walked out of the back of the podium, "Fuck This! I'm going home! This is bullshit!"

"WHAT!" Most of the council room yelled, even Erza and Makarov were surprised by his defiant attitude toward the immensely influential group. "You can't just leave! Come back here this instant!"

"Why?! Why should I bother with these questions when I don't even know why it is so important? In fact, why are you all so scared about it, huh? What are you afraid of?!"

"Th-that is because-"

"We are scared because its influence is to immense." Everyone in the courtroom looked to where Siegrain had his head propped up on his fist, looking at the situation with a tired gaze. "But we just don't wish to admit it to ourselves."

"Hold your tongue Siegrain!"

"No. I won't hold my tongue. Because how are we supposed to try and solve this issue if we can't even summon up the courage to talk about it? How are people of the world supposed to be brave if even the great Magic Council is too scared to mention them? If you really want to save this country and stop that man," Jellal sat up and looked at everyone with a strong will, "then set an example and push through the pain."

The council all looked towards their newest member in surprise. Even the Fairy Tail mages looked at the blue-haired boy in astonishment at his words. Ultear just smiled and nodded in agreement. The council looked between each other as they all had a silent conversation about what to do.

Until Org sighed in defeat and looked down at a frog servant besides their files. He nodded his head and the frog turned around and picked up several very large folder in its hands. It walked over to the podium and laid them out for the blond boy to see for himself. Naruto looked up at them in couriosity before walking back to the podium and opening them to see the contents inside.

Naruto shifted through the papers, reading the reports and articles on the independent guild's actions over the last several decades. The destruction of several dozen guilds, towns and cities being laid to waste in siege. And then, Naruto landed on a set of several tens of photos that depicted the mangled, dismembered and utterly graphic corpses of men and women from across the land. He looked through each of the files in shock as a look of horror and realization dawned across his face.

"Those are only a few of the folders we have on their influence. Some of their more...prominent examples." Naruto slowly looked back up to them with a look that said if he didn't have such a strong stomach, they would be in need of new folders. "Damnation is a rather large independent guild that has a very large influence over the entire nation. And as its namesake says, they have resigned themselves to kill all those they believe are unworthy."

"It is a guild that operates beyond the influence of even our field of jurisdiction. But it also does not discriminate against its enemies, making all those of legal or illegal persuasion its targets." The older female member of the council continued, "Recently, we have received reports that members of the guild have been evading their capture and moving through the borders into the surrounding countries. Their presence is already being noticed in the lands of Caelum, Ministral, Bosco and Seven. And possibly even further then that."

"H-how-how can something like this still be going on? Shouldn't you be trying to stop it" Naruto asked nervously as Erza walked up to the podium and looked at the files, covering her mouth in horror at the realization.

"We have. Or, at least, we have attempted on more than one hundred accounts to try and halt the advances of this guild's actions. But on every record, our teams and the branch buildings they are housing in have been destroyed and strung up for show. To show the world what happens when we try to fight against them." The members of the courtroom all seemed to go solemn as some of the older members relived their experiences with these matters. "No matter who it is they face, this guild has been at large for almost 50-years."

Naruto leaned forward and ran his hands through his face and hair. He looked over his shoulder to where Jiji was sitting there, his eyes narrowed as he recounted his time hearing if these acts. Naruto turned back towards the council, "Why are they so strong?"

"And that is where the council finds the worst problem in the bunch" Jellal said as he leaned forward out of his chair. "The reason this guild is so elusive, brutal and impossible to catch...is because its master knows everything about how to stop us."

Naruto looked up at him in surprise. Another file was brought over to him as he and Erza looked through its contents. Except instead of several disasters and location reports on the entire guild, it was about one man.

"Alexander Sorrento. Born February 17 X691. Rising member of the magical council military and obtained to the rank of Rune Knight Commander at the age of 30. After several years of service, he was appointed to the Royal Guard in Mercurius, under the preceding king. And after only two years, he was appointed the Cherry Blossom Holy Knight Squadron Chief, right hand man to the king, at the age of only 35. The youngest man ever to receive the honor of that position. In short, a one-in a hundred million hero that stood at the top of his field."

"He had a perfect record in the field and he was an inspiration to all of those in the younger generation to strive for excellence. So great that he was given a position among the Ten Holy Wizard Saints at a younger age then even your own master." Naruto and Erza looked back towards Makarov, who reluctantly nodded his head in agreement at the proclamation.

"He was a hero, until a certain event that destroyed his mental psyche. In X731, he was in pursuit of a group of something he called 'shadows' that he could never seem to capture. He made many claims about their whereabouts and became obsessed with finding them at any costs. He even forced his subordinate team to steal an experimental weapon to help in the fight against these men, what we now know as the Jupiter cannon."

"Then, the weapon was discharged and fired into a town. Tonewa. The town was destroyed and after many days of searching, there were no reported survivors. Sorrento was badly injured in the blast, severely disfigured and mentally unfit to continue duty. He was arrested and was placed to be on trial in the next few days. But he escaped from the capital, ran from Crocus and wasn't heard of for several years." Naruto and Erza looked to each other and then back down into the folders.

"Until, he made himself known again some time later." Ultear said as she placed her hands in her lap. "He attacked a guild somewhere in the mountains and made a proclamation for the entire nation to hear. 'If there are those that curse the fates they have been given, come onto me. We shall find a place to make our own, a world which we can make ourselves redeemed. Cast aside the destiny you have upon you and make a world which you can strive for. A world so far off, it rests in the darkness of shadows. But we will fight, we shall live a judge until God shall reward us with a new light. Until then, we shall bear our sins, and we shall face Damnation.'"

"After that, he taught several generations of mages how to fight and battle against stronger opponents and the military. Using our tactics and skills to help further their attempts and evade our eyes. Their members can infiltrate any organization to help keep the guild hidden. He taught magic styles to all types of unstable and dangerous individuals and in his actions he has caused the deaths of thousands of innocent civilians and mages. The losses of these individuals has caused many people to suffer in agony, some of which reside in your very own guild."

Erza lowered her head and narrowed her eyes in worry and distraught. Remembering Levy's experience with the accursed guild and the trauma she tried to forget.

"The reason we were so short with you, my boy" Yajima said with a sad frown on his face, "was because not many mages are able to take on a team from the guild and survive. Most are killed due to their own fear or inexperience. And any that do survive, go into hiding for the rest of their lives. Hoping to keep themselves and the ones they love safe. And anyone that returns is killed along with their entire guild."

Org stood up and out of his chair, "Which is why we are giving you the chance to enter a witness protection under our care. But it would mean that you would have to leave your guild indefinitely." Naruto and Erza looked up at him in shock.

"What? No way!"

"Naruto can't just be taken away like that!"

"It would be for the best. We can promise that he would be under our best protection and services. And he will have as much freedom to do as he wishes as we can provide. But most of all, he will be protected against any advances from Damnation. Naruto Uzumaki, what do you choose?"

Naruto looked from the council members to the girl at his side. She looked at him with eyes full of worry, wishing that he wouldn't have to go but understanding the situation at hand. He turned over to Makarov, who had his staff between his folded arms and lowered his head with shut eyes. And finally, he looked down to all of the files at hand, revealing the acts of the men he had antagonized.

Naruto tensed his hands and looked up at the council. "No."

The council gasped at his answer. Jellal and Ultear smiled as they somehow knew that he would answer no to the protection. Makarov smiled with his eyes still closed as Erza released a deep breath she had held down.

"Y-you can't be serious!"

"I'm not going to live the rest of my life in fear whether or not some old bastard is going to be knocking on my door for my life. I'm not going to run away from him."

"You don't get it do you boy? This man has killed hundreds of mages over his lifetime! Men and women who were far stronger and better then what you call yourself! He is a monster-"

"He's a man! He's stronger then me, yeah, but that doesn't make him a devil or god. If he was hurt all those years ago at Tonewa then he can be hurt now. Everyone is just so afraid of him they think it is a crime just to say his name, let alone fight him!"

Michello felt his veins pulse as this boy challenged his authority.

Org leaned over, "Defendant Naruto Uzumaki, it is admirable how you show so much courage and will at such a young age. But, I must ask you this. Though you are ready to face this challenge, are you ready to risk the lives of your guild in the process?"

Naruto looked up at the man with the black bird in his hair, deflating at the reminder of his guild. He couldn't just risk the lives of family willy-nilly like that. Not just because he refused to run away like that from the horrible guild. Naruto gripped the podium as he thought about what decision he could make that was right.

Then, as if like a wave of comfort in his mind, he felt a soft hand grip the back of his. He looked surprised to his side, looking at the armored girl as she gave him a reassuring smile. Erza looked up to the council, "We aren't going to abandon him."

She stated to the older group as a fact, not an option, as there was no room for argument in her voice. "Fairy Tail will never abandon one of its own as long as we can fight. If Damnation wants to send a group or an army after him, then they will have to deal with us first. And then they will understand that they have made the worst decision of their life when they do. Believe me." Naruto looked at the girl in amazement before slowly smiling and squeezing her hand in return.

Org rubbed the bridged of his nose before sighing and looking back down. "Is this your final decision?"

"Well," Makarov finally made himself heard as he jumped down from his seat and walked over to his younger guild members. "I think I can speak for my guild in saying, if Damnation would endanger itself with picking a fight with us, let them try."

Naruto and Erza smiled between each other before looking at the little man as he grinned and gave them a thumbs up. The council all looked between themselves as Org hit his gavel and called the meeting to an end.

**########Hunter########**

"Well, that was a rather interesting and surprisingly intense hearing, huh?" Makarov joked as he walked through hallway with his young entourages. Erza and Naruto chuckled as the hallway they walked through was illuminated by the light of the setting sun in the mountains to their side.

They arrived in a rather large hall that had many tables and a kitchen to the side. Makarov saw Yajima on the other side of the hall, waving him over as the wizened old master waved back. "You two stay here for a moment, I'm going to say hello to my old friend." The two mages both nodded as they watched the little man scurry over to the table.

Erza and Naruto stood there silently for a moment as they watched Makarov greet and chat with his old friend properly. "Thank you." Erza looked over at Naruto after he had broken the silence. "I don't know if I could have gone through that thing if you didn't help me. And I know I won't have been able to make a good enough point to stay if you didn't say that to them. So thank you for telling them that you would-"

***Smack*** "Ow!" Naruto rubbed the back of his head where Erza smacked him.

"You idiot. I meant every word of what I said in there. None of us would ever let you get taken away. Natsu and Gray see you like an equally annoying brother that they have to outdo. And I know that Mirajane wouldn't stop bitching at me if you just suddenly disappeared. Plus I'm sure Rob-Ojisan would find out about this and be devastated when he heard."

Naruto brought his arm down to his side and looked at her. He then made a big grin, "And you?" Erza huffed and looked in the opposite direction, an embarrassed blush slowly creeping up to her cheeks. Naruto just laughed wholeheartedly at her actions.

"Erza! Naruto! Over here!" The two of them looked over to where their master was calling them over, with the other man across from him. The ran over and came to the table they were occupying. "Erza, Naruto, I'd like you to properly meet Yajima. Senior member of the Magical Council and former Mage of Fairy Tail." Yajima nodded in the direction of the amazed young duo.

"It is an honor, Yajima-San." Erza said with a bow as Naruto walked forward and shook his hand.

"Yeah well I'm always excited about meeting the new kids in my old place. And I must say that I am not disappointed in the least with these new youngsters. Although I must say young man, you should learn to keep your gums shut when us old codgers are all worried like that in there. Unlike me, they are just jumping at the chance to screw with Fairy Tail at every turn." Naruto looked down in mild shame at being told of his rash actions. "And on another note, if us old men had half the brass to stand up them like you did, I doubt we would have any problems left to discuss about.

Naruto looked up to the chuckling old man and smiled. He and Erza sat down next to their master as they all started to talk about what had happened in the courtroom. Laughing at certain moments that made the old men writhe in anger. And telling Yajima about how Rob was still alive and well in the mountains near Blue Pegasus. The old man got a good laugh when he heard the news.

"Hey Yammy, I owe you for helping out the kid in there. Order whatever you want, my treat."

"Thanks Makky. That means a lot." He looked over to a waiter that came to the table, "I'll have fifteen bowls of Miso ramen with extra beef and can you hold the egg please."

"O-oi, Yammy, I meant like, a bowl. I'm not feeding an army here. You need to-"

"Oh I feel faint, I don't think I can go on. I think I'm hallucinating. Huh? What's that? A little Fairy Mage has been causing problems in the city and you want to shut down the guild! Well, I don't think I can stop-"

"Alright! Alright! Geez, out of all of us, its safe to say that you became the most stingy after getting old. Mind you, this is a group that includes Porlyusica, so that's saying something." Yajima gave Naruto a thumbs-up as the boy laughed at the old teammates' antics.

"So, Naruto-kun, its a pleasure to meet you myself. Makky has been sending me letters about your adventures over time."

"Really?"

"Well not just you. I've heard about Natsu-kun, Gray-kun, Mirajane-kun, little Erza-kun here" Erza looked down in shame "and I've heard nothing but complaints about this Gildarts-kun over the years."

Erza blinked in surprise, "Yes, but Gildarts is actually an adult."

"Yeah but with how he does things, you would think he was a boy in a man's body." Makarov said as he grumbled in annoyance.

"So, old man Yajima, did you always hang out with Jiji, Porlyusica-San, Bob-San and Rob-jichan in the old days?"

"Oh my yes, we caused quite the bit of ruckus when we were kids. Probably worse off then what you guys do now. And I can see that you have quite a strong will about yourself, Naruto-kun."

"Hehe, yep. I'm the most annoyingly stubborn Mage in Fairy Tail. At least that's what everyone says when I want to take a job." Erza shook her head in disappointment while Makarov and Yajima laughed at his confidence.

"Yes well, I'm quite used to meeting people who are stubborn and never willing to give up. And I was quite surprised when I heard that you were another one of those stubborn kids from the other world."

Naruto looked at him in surprise.

"You know about that?"

"Yes. Makky informed me of the details earlier today. You came from a world where ninja stuck to the shadows, and your techniques were formed by chakra and not magic. Quite the surprise when I heard him tell me that." His perpetually shut eyes opened slightly and looked at the boy seriously. "My boy, what Sorrento has been obsessed with all this time was the existence of the people from your world that visited here all those years ago. All the things he has done over the years, they have been in his pursuit of finding the people who hold that power. And making them suffer is his first choice of action. Now that he may have you in his sights, beware."

Naruto looked at Yajima and smiled. "Then I'll just have to get stronger, right? So that if he comes and finds me, I can teach him a lesson. Cause even if he is so powerful, he isn't invincible, right?"

The mages at the table looked at the smiling blond boy, before all smiling in return at his enthusiasm to stop the tyrannical group. Yajima smiled and nodded, "That's right."

"Which mean I've got to get stronger! Jiji, can I take S-rank missions?"

"No."

"Please?"

"No."

"I'll be your best friend!"

"You can dance around naked and bring me a lifetime supply of booze if you want. I'll still say no."

"Ahhhhh, then when can I start taking those missions?"

"When you've proven that you can take the responsibilities of an S-rank. You and Erza are good, but you've got a long ways to go." Naruto deflated and hit his head on the table. Erza tried to cheer him up by rubbing his back.

"Here you go sir, your first bowl of ramen." The waiter came and brought the first of many bowls over to the old man in the split hat. Yajima smacked his lips and broke apart his chopsticks. As he reached for his first bite-

"What is that?" Yajima looked past the bowl to the young boy who was looking at the found curiously.

"Why, this is ramen my boy. I thought you would have known that considering your name?"

"Oh, that is ramen. Huh? I don't get what the big deal is?" A pair of old hands smacked the table top, startling Erza, Naruto and Makarov as Yajima looked at the boy furiously.

"You dare to insult the greatness of ramen. When you have not even taken a bite from its godly form." Yajima pushed the bowl of ramen forward and handed Naruto the chopsticks. The boy looked at the bowl, sticks, and his friends in alarm as he was suddenly forced to eat something he had never even seen before.

Naruto shrugged his soldiers and held the sticks in his fingers as he grabbed the bowl. He dipped in and lifted several noodles in-between the wooden sticks. He blew on them to cool them down and let the scent from the steaming broth reach his nose. It was actually quite interesting, the aroma coming off of the boiling hot food. He leaned forward and placed the noodles in his mouth.

Naruto's eyes widened in amazement. The chewy noodles had absorbed the taste of all the food swimming inside the broth as the sensations exploded in a show of deliciousness. Naruto swallowed the noodles and started to devour the rest of what laid in the bowl, causing Makarov and Erza to actually scoot away from him in fear that they were in the splash zone.

After about a minute, Naruto finished slurping up the rest of the broth and lowered the bowl back to the table. He looked up at Yajima, "th-that was, that was-" he felt a hand land on his shoulder as Yajima nodded towards him.

"I know. I remember the first bowl I ate. I was speechless for the rest of the day. It is truly a gift from the gods. A concoction that we have been blessed with that we may never truly understand."

"I-I wish I knew. That there was actually something like this in this world."

"Do not regret your past my boy." A bright light shined down behind Yajima as he appeared like a holy existence. Come to guide Naruto down the path of noddles in a bowl. "Just devote your life to the betterment of ramen kind."

"I shall master. Please, guide me." Naruto and Yajima started to dig into every bowl of ramen that came their way. After some time, they continued to order more bowls of ramen, gaining loud protest from Makarov as they squandered away his funds.

Erza just looked at them in surprise as she saw Naruto cheerfully eat away all of the Master's money as he just smiled like an idiot. She smiled fondly and rested her cheek against her hand, watching him forget his troubles and eat what she could only guess would be his new favorite dish.

These moments where everything was peaceful and there were no troubles in the world. These were the moments that she cherished the most in her life. Because even in times of hardship and sorrow, fighting for moments like this were worth it. And she promised to fight for this peace.

Against even Damnation itself.

**########Omake: And Thus, He Takes His First Steps Into Sin########**

He looked up at the cloudy sky. Just like he always did.

He took a bite from the apple he picked. Just like he always did.

And he ignored the sounds of the crows and vultures arguing as they tried to eat at the flesh of the numerous bodies underneath him that he was currently using as a bench. Just like he always did.

When did things become like this?

When did he find himself wandering in these mountains?

It must have been for some time now. He wasn't the same little kid he was before. And the trees had changed leaves many times now.

The village at the bottom of the mountain supposedly had a legend about him. The demonic child that only lived for blood. That did not care for his own life or well-being, but only to erase any presence that came before him.

He had lost track of how many men and women had come for his life. But it did not matter to him what their genders were, only if they were competent to fight against.

Because that was all that mattered to him. Since he was a little child that had to kill his own parents to survive in the purges of magic. Since he was a boy that killed the wolves and bears during the winter for meat and warmth. Since he had turned old enough to massacre even the mages that had come to take his life for reward.

That was the only thing that asserted the fact that he was truly alive. That he truly existed.

To fight against the strong.

"My my, you really are as brutal as the rumors say you are."

The boy silently turned his head to where an old and rough voice made itself known to him. From the shadows, a tall man with a long cape walked up to the pile of corpses. His snowy hair and the three scars down his eye-patched right eye immediately caught his attention.

"I had heard of a devil child that had no quarrels with destroying anyone who came to him." The man leaned down and picked up a skull that laid by his feet. He fiddled with it before lifting it up and looking at the boy.

***Crush*** "And that is exactly what I was looking for."

The boy turned around more to look at the ancient old man that let the pieces of bone fall from his hand.

"I recently met another boy that shared some similar characteristics with you. And since then, I've been preoccupying my time with finding talent that could match his. And you are the first on the list."

The boy narrowed his eyes as the scarred man just smirked at him.

"You strive for a strong match, don't you. Someone that you could actually challenge. Someone who could actually match your power. I'm making a small group, ones that are your level or even stronger. Ones that even you would find impossible to beat. And after my quest is done, you can make a world for yourself. One where everyone you meet will be someone that can fight you. A world where you are truly alive. What do you say?"

The boy was silent as he looked at the man who had offered him a great choice. But all he did was throw his apple over his shoulder and climb down the hill of corpses. He placed his feet on the ground and turned to the old man.

Hades sighed as he rubbed his head in realization. "It's never easy for me when I do this. So, I guess I'll just have to convince you then, huh?"

The boy lowered his head until his brown locks covered his eyes, a demonic smirk growing across his face at the prospect of fighting this impossibly strong foe.

"Fine. Then before we fight, may I at least know your name?"

The boy crouched down to his knees, grabbing the dirt beneath him as he looked up at the geezer. His eyes revealing a deranged and animalistic as he threw himself wildly at the older man.

"Azuma."

**########Hunter########**

**_Done_**

**_Okay, I hope I can get some more writing over the next few days since I'm having my wisdoms removed._**

**_ReadxReview_**

**_Thanks and Bye_**


	13. Between A Rock And A Sharp Place

Titania and The Hunter

Chapter 13: Between A Rock and A Sharp Place

In the next few days, Gintama The Final Chapter: Yorozuya Forever was released in theaters and shall conclude the Gintama anime indefinitely. And even though this is Gintama we are talking about so there is still a high chance that it is just trolling and it may return sometime next year due to (we all know it) **overwhelming** fan support, that there is still a chance that I will never get to see another episode of one of my favorite series makes me feel sorrowful.

And even though I am looking forward to new anime series over the summer, most noticeably Highschool DXD New and Kaminomi Goddess Arc, I still can't help but remember all the my other favorite series over the last few years that have ended.

I may not get another season of Haganai. Oreimo has finished its light novel series so no more of our favorite black cat cosplay girl and yandere. Magical Index still has some hope due to such mass popularity so there may be a season 3, or there may not be. Soul Eater is ending. Binbougami-ga is ending. Code-Breaker is ending. I'm still sad about Negima, Medaka and Reborn after all this time.

And even all those critics and haters out there, who scream in anger and find the worst nit-picking details in their current qualities, will undoubtably feel sad when Naruto, Bleach and Fairy Tail meet their ends.

But I can at least find comfort in the fact that even though all of these series may come to an end, all the hours they have spent with us will never leave our hearts. The moments we lost our breath. The moments we laugh out of our seats. The moments when our eyes well up in sadness or joy. And even the moments when we cringed in horror. Even though a franchise may end, it will always continue on with us, and we hope that it can affect the next person along as much as it did us.

Plus, the Gintama manga is still going on, so I still get my weekly dose of lazy samurai.

Onward to the BIRTHDAY BANANZA BASH

Post-made: T-Too-Too much chibi Erza! C-can't handle the cuteness! Too much! Tooooo muchhhhhhhhh! C-Chris Hanson! He's gunning for me! Oh noooooooooo!

Also, just listened to season 2 dubbed in English. And somehow, Ichiya being voiced by Cooler just feels so right.

**########Hunter########**

_July 4 X779_

"I'mmmmmmm sooooooooooo booooooooorrrrreeeddddd!" A head of pink hair said as he sprawled out lazily on the table. Normally, this would be the part where the other young black-haired Mage would tell him to shut up. Then the Dragon-Slayer and Ice-Maker would get into a loud argument, call each other names and generally annoy the entire guild in the process.

Except Gray was at another table, equally sprawled out and just as bored as Natsu.

In fact, most of the guild was lying around, bored out of their minds.

Over the last week, every member of the guild had gone on several requests taken from the board. And after everything was said and done, they had no more jobs to take for the rest of the month. The board had been dry for three days now and everyone was suffering from a severe case of Cabin Fever.

This being Fairy Tail, they tried to remedy this situation with a full blown party that shook the entire building as a celebration of completing all of their jobs. Which succeeded in cheering everybody up...

For about one day.

The arrival of new jobs was supposed to be delivered today but it was running late for some reason. So now, everybody was on a pretty bad low of energy.

"Lisanna~, bored~...boooooooooooored" whined the little kitten atop the white-haired girl's scalp. He was gnawing on what was left of the fish tail he had been eating earlier.

"Happy, not now. Go annoy Mira-Nee or Elf-niichan."

"Lisanna~, bored~...boooooooooooored" her two older siblings echoed to the young girl.

"Oh shut up."

"Isn't there anything to do? We can't just sit here waiting for more requests, right" Cana said as she tried to lift up her head.

"Wait! We've still got missions we can take!" Natsu yelled as he jumped up on the table with a righteous fire in his eyes.

"Really?" Most of the guild got out of their stupor and looked at the young Dragon-slayer excitedly.

"Yeah! We've got S-Class Requests!"

As a collective, everyone besides Natsu sat back down with a resounding thump. "Seriously guys! I bet there are a ton of S-class stuff we can do!"

True, there was probably a surplus of S-Class Requests upstairs on the second floor board. Since the only two S-Class mages left were in the guild were Gildarts and Laxus. But as they already knew...

"Natsu, give it up. You know this doesn't end well for any of us." Mira groaned as she really wasn't up for dealing with Natsu's useless attempts to take a request he couldn't complete.

"Come on. While Jii-chan isn't looking! Happy, follow me!" Natsu jumped off the table and ran towards the stairs behind the bar counter, his faithful friend flying by his side.

"Aye Si-"

***Crunch***

The guild couldn't help but cringe as they heard Natsu and Happy having their bodies crushed into the floor so deeply they made imprints. The giant fist lifted off of them and shrunk down to normal side, revealing the two boys twitching helplessly, Happy's wings occasionally fluttering.

"Natsu! Happy! Geez not again." Lisanna ran over to the two and tried to pull them out of the ground. Makarov walked out of the back room with Erza by his side, both of them shaking their heads in disappointment.

"It's not enough that Naruto keeps bitching to me about wanting to take S-Class requests, now I've got to be stopping you two idiots as well. I'm getting to old for this shit." Makarov groaned to himself as he jumped up to his spot on the counter. "You can stop acting out now you punks, good news. The requests are coming in today!"

"Finally!"

"I thought they weren't coming!"

Lisanna nudged Natsu and Happy as everybody was screaming in delight. "Natsu, the jobs are coming in."

"H-hooray..." Natsu lifted up his shaky head and gave her a bruised smile before falling back into place.

Erza walked over to a table and sat down in it, yawning tiredly. Mira slid over to sit across from her. "What's wrong with you?"

"I just had to tell Master that Naruto won't be around for a couple of days."

"Really?" Erza nodded and Mira adjusted herself to look at her more directly. "What's wrong with blondie this time?"

"He said he's been feeling kind of sick for the last few days. And so he won't be able to come to the guild for a while. Probably from eating mostly ramen for the last few days. It's his own fault in the end."

"He's sick?" Mira whistled in disbelief. "I swore that idiots couldn't get sick in the first place. So why don't you just drop him off at Porlyusica-San's house and leave him to her?"

"I wanted to ask for her assistance but when I came to her, she said, 'I'm sick of having to take care of you snot-nosed brats every second of every damn day! Runny noses, skinned knees, who knows what else you'll force me to fix if I have to help that idiot with a little flu! Tell him to get better on his own damn time!'" Erza mimicked with an almost scarily familiar imitation of the human-hating medical advisor in the woods. "Something like that."

"Yeah, seems like something she would say. So what? Do we have to bring him his meals and change his diaper from now on?"

"No. He said he would be fine hold up in his home for a little while. I removed all the ramen I could find before I left so he will have to eat something else for now. I can trust him to take care of himself." Mira raised an eyebrow at her incredulously.

"Well, its not like he could be worse off?"

**########Hunter########**

_A few moments earlier_

The carriage was being drawn into the limits of Magnolia Town. The two men on the front of the carriage were arguing about something, the several crates in the carriage tremble around.

"Junior! I told you to feed the damn horses before we set off on the delivery! It's your fault we're late with drop-off now!"

"And I told you, you crotchety old geezer, that we need to be feeding these stupid things better! If you want to deliver faster, up the ante!"

"Shut up kid! You don't even know what you are saying!

"I'll tell you what I'm saying! What I'm saying is-"

Before this pointless argument could advance any further, the old and young duo noticed that a sudden shadow had appeared over them. And that it was shrinking faster and faster. They both looked up to the sight of a blond boy falling towards them, screaming his head off.

"Get Out Of The Way!"

The two men yelled in worry and tried to get out of the way to no avail. The boy crashed into the back of the carriage, causing the wooden crates to fall off and careen to the ground. The citizens of the town looked towards the accident before going back to their normal lives.

"Shit! The papers! Grab 'em before they fly off" the older man demanded as he pushed the younger one off the carriage and started to desperately grab the request fliers before they were swept away.

The black-cloaked blond rubbed his head and saw the men he had run into trying to pick up a bunch of papers. He found his balance and started to follow their example, grabbing as many papers as fast as possible.

After about a full ten minutes of rummaging on the ground, searching behind barrels and corners and running after any papers that floated in the breeze, all three men were leaning against the carriage breathing rapidly.

"I-I think that's all of them." The old man wheezed out.

"T-there weren't any others that I could see so I think we are good." The younger man said as he fell on his butt.

The whiskered boy wiped his forehead and started to pick up the crates he knocked over with a grunt. "Here. Let's try to put them back before we lose them again." The two men nodded and started to place the dozens of papers back into the wooden container.

After they were done, the boy helped them lift it into the back of the carriage and everything was set back up.

The young teen walked up to the two men, "Sorry I knocked your thing over. I was helping the store owner fix up his roof and I missed a step."

"It's alright kid, we got everything together so no harm done."

"See ya later kid!" The two men whipped the harness and caused the horse to pull the carriage again. The two men turned around and waved to the blond boy as he waved back to them. The boy kept waving until they rounded the corner and were out of sight, lowering his hand.

Slowly, a naughty and diabolical grin started to stretch from cheek to cheek as Naruto tried his best to stifle a chuckle forming in his throat. Naruto looked from side to side before pulling his sleeve open and taking out a crumbled piece of paper. He unfurled it and read the sheet with a picture of a strange formation in the middle of a lake.

**S-Rank**

**URGENT! NEED ASSISTANCE!**

**There is a group of bandits trying to steal legendary artifacts from a sacred tomb. We need immediate assistance before it is too late!**

**Warning: Please accept before the 7th of July**

**8,000,000J**

Perfect.

Naruto laughed in glee before pocketing the paper into his pants. He started to jump up the side of the building he had jumped off of and lifted the pack he had prepared before jumping into the carriage. He hefted the sack over his shoulder and made his way to his destination.

Antirr.

**########Hunter########**

_2 Days Later_

Naruto knew that what he was doing wasn't going to be safe. It wasn't going to be simple. And it wasn't smart.

Hell, this might probably be one of the worst ideas to ever pop up in his head in all of his years.

But damn it! If he wasn't excited out of his god damn mind to try it!

Naruto had known for a long time the route and routine which the request carriage took to the guild. And he knew that his constant requests and attempts of asking Jiji if he could take an S-Class request were never going to work. He also tried to ask one of the current members to let him work with them as a team.

But Gildarts had taken some extremely difficult SS-Class request that was sending him off on another long absence. Like usual.

And the newest addition to the pride of Fairy Tail was none other than the grandson of their Guild Master, Laxus Dreyar. Now despite how most felt about the stubborn teenager, they couldn't help but want to congratulate him for his success in becoming the first S-Class in a long time. So the entire guild was throwing a party in his honor as a celebration.

The result? He burnt down the banner they made for him and he made a proclamation to all of the guild. Saying that he was fucking sick of how pathetic this guild was. That among the dozens of 'supposedly' strong mages in Fairy Tail, that he was the first member with enough potential to gain the rank of S-Class since Gildrats all those years ago.

And he said, with a crooked smile and tone that would think he was a man among mice, he said he was going to be the next master. And when he was, there was going to be a new Fairy Tail. And all of them that couldn't keep up, weren't going to last.

Needless to say, Naruto wasn't jumping at the chance to ask Laxus for a favor.

So now, he stole a mission.

What better way to walk away with a request then to steal it before it could reach the guild. Course, this meant he wasn't going to get that 8 million jewels reward in the end.

And god knows how the guild is going to react when he comes back. Erza will probably hate him for a while. Master was definitely going to dish out some serious punishment.

But that was something he could live with. If S-Class requests were really that difficult, then the experience and strength you gain from them must be just a rewarding.

And if he was going to face such severe enemies in the future like Grimoire Heart or Damnation again, he was going to need as much of it as he could get.

And after the stories he had heard about them. Levy's experience. When a guild Macao and Wakaba used to know was destroyed. The sheer volume of Rune Knight bodies that were found. It was sort of terrifying to hear.

Plus, Parker-Ojisan's story really hammered it in further then it already was.

**########Hunter########**

_"Seriously kid? You want to try and fight Damnation? Ha, that's rich" the grizzled old man laughed as he worked behind the counter. The young teenager felt his blood boil as he threw the goods he was stacking in the shelves back into its box._

_"Don't laugh like that you old bastard! People like you shouldn't be giggling like a little girl! Hell Erza doesn't even laugh like that!" Naruto yelled as he felt like he was being treated like a little kid again by the salt and pepper-haired man he visited every other week._

_"Hey watch what you're handling brat, break anything and I'm deducting from your pay!"_

_"I barely get paid anything to begin with! I take this job out of pity you geezer!" Naruto and Parker started to bitch at each other as they pressed their foreheads together in seething anger._

_"Brat you'd get served by Damnation faster then you can piss your diaper!"_

_"I think you've got it mixed old man! I can control my bowels unlike you!" Parker grabbed the shorter boy and stuffed him in a head lock, Naruto's arms flailing around in hateful fury._

_Parker spun him around and let him go,"Pfft, if you ever have the urge to come back, send Erza-chan instead! She is actually tolerable! Unlike some people!" Parker dusted himself and faced the other direction, roughly fixing up the items on the back counter._

_"Screw you! How can you guys be so afraid of something you haven't even seen? They're terrifying, sure, but why the hell can you let something like this go on?" Naruto was about to storm off in anger and head home-_

_"I know kid. I know all too well." Naruto stopped his march out and looked back towards the old man that had first taken him in when he came out of the tower. Still a little miffed, he looked at the man with a slightly raised brow._

_"I knew another kid that was pretty eager to become a Mage as well. He always ran straight into a mission without ever considering what could happen to him. But he always came out on top with a shit eating grin plastered on his damn face. He was one of those kids that always cheered the place up." The man said with a nostalgic tone heavy in his voice._

_Naruto felt his eyes lighten and he turned back towards the old man with a worried look. "And...what happened?"_

_Parker stopped his work and seemed to freeze for a moment before resuming what he was doing. "The guild he joined decided to take on an assignment to attack a squadron of Damnation that had been sighted near their location. The day before he left, he came to me and told me what he was doing. We got into...into a pretty big argument."_

_"The last thing we said to each other was 'See you in hell you damn kid! See if I care!'..." Parker sighed and shook his head tiredly. "I was called in during the week to try and identify the body. Don't know if they could even call what was left a body?"_

_Naruto stood there and looked at the man sadly. The young man never showed it but Parker-Ojisan was basically the closest thing he ever had to a stable father figure. Always there when he wanted to talk and if he ever stayed too long he was always welcomed to dinner. Naruto and Erza always loved to see the stingy old man, even if the two guys never stopped arguing._

_And to see the normally stoic and unflappable man appear even a little vulnerable told loads to the Fairy Tail Mage._

_"About a week after the kid died, his mother went into a fit of depression. Feeling like there wasn't much left in the world to live for now that her dearest treasure was taken from her. And before the month was over...she hung herself in her room."_

_"That happened about ten years ago. "See if I care"... Those were the last words I ever said to my son." Parker looked over to Naruto with a stone face and gave him a level look. "I know that you will never give up to guys like that Naruto. But don't go in there thinking you are dealing with people. Because monsters like that, will take everything you know away in a blink."_

**########Hunter########**

Naruto walked into the bustling town noticing that there wasn't as much chaos and urgency evident that the request said there would be. He pulled out the flier and read the meeting point for acceptance.

The Broken Counter

Naruto walked around the center of Antirr, looking for the badly named hotel. After a few minutes, he found a two-story sized building that had a flickering neon sign with the name he was looking for.

Naruto walked through the doors of the building, looking for his liaisons for the request. Among the dozen of people in the lobby, he had to try and find the people who had sent out for the request.

"Oh dear, oh dear, oh dear, oh dear. No one is coming. No one is coming. What do we do? What if no one comes in time?"

"Calm down. We received word that someone was going to come in time so we just need to wait. I trust the guilds to send somebody capable of the job." A man wearing a funny brown hat, with a scarf and a shaggy dark brown beard said to his older companions.

Naruto looked at them rather blankly. Yep, with his luck, these were the guys.

Naruto walked over to them, "Excuse me? Are you the group that sent out for the mission? Something about it being ur-"

"Yes! Yes! Thank you my good man!" The man started to enthusiastically shake Naruto's hand and lead him to the table. "Come, come, sit down. Do you need anything?"

"Um, no. No I'm fine." The Fairy Tail Mage was feeling quite freaked out as several old people start to poke his face and sides like he was an object to be examined. "I'm Naruto Uzumaki, from Fairy Tail."

"Ah, yes yes my boy. Sorry. My name is Jean-Luc Neville. I'm part of The Archeological Society in the search of rare and ancient sites all across Fiore." The man stopped his exposition when he saw that Naruto had not changed his facial expression at all when he said that. "I find really old places people don't know about and look through them."

"There you go."

"Yes. Listen..." Jean-Luc pulled out a large map from his back-pack and laid it out across the table for Naruto to see. "You see here..." The man pointed towards a highlighted lake circled on the map, "This is where the ruins are located. At the bottom of the lake."

Naruto slowly lifted his head and looked at him in astonishment. "T-the lake?"

"Yes! At the bottom of this lake is a massive sanctuary that holds more than a century's worth of treasure and information!"

"Treasure! Really!" Naruto almost jumped out of his seat in excitement.

"Yes, but that isn't what is in need of protection. It is what we believe lies in the very epicenter of the sanctuary." Neville pulled out a leathery book from his pack and started to flip through the pages.

"How much do you fit in the bag?"

"Tons. Ah, here we are." He laid the book on its back and turned it around for the young boy to see. "The legends about what lay beneath the surface of the water says that it was a vault. A place where powerful weapons were stashed away, never to be seen again. These weapons were said to bend the very elements themselves to the wielder's mercy. And if you could use just one of them, then your power would grow exponentially. And the ones who made them were..." He pointed down to the illustration on the page as Naruto looked fiercely.

"Dragons." He muttered lowly.

"Before the dragons went extinct 400 years ago, several of them worked with humans to form swords that could harness a piece of their power. When the swords were finished, the dragons blessed each one of them with their magic. Among the hundreds of blades forged, only seven were still intact. And when the magic was harnessed, the blades changed shape to better control their power. And that is what lies at the bottom of the lake." The archeologist flipped the page for the boy to see the last picture.

It was a picture of dozens and dozens of dragons flying over the separated water of a lake as in the middle of it was a building with seven shining swords found in the middle.

"The Dragon's Den. The vault of the Ancient Dragon Swords."

Naruto swallowed a lump of anxiousness, but couldn't help but try to hide the smile growing on his face. He looked at the picture before trying to realize something. "Wait? If this thing has been underneath the lake for centuries, why is it only now in danger?"

"Because normally, the vault can't be open. No matter what magic is used, on any side, the building is impenetrable from the outside. But it does reveal to have an opening. Once a year, on July 7th, the doors underneath the lake will open to anyone who comes to them. Over the last few decades, many people have tried to enter the building on this day, but none ever return. After sometime, the idea of entering the building was forgotten."

Naruto sat there quietly thinking things over. "Then why do you need me to stop someone from entering a place no one can return from?"

"Because the men who are going into this place, have something that could guarantee them a safe way out."

"And how do you know all of this?"

"Because the book this was copied from," he waved the hardback copy in his hand around, "was discovered a few decades back along with another item. This book was the compass to telling us where and what was inside the vault. And the other item was the way to walk in and out of it alive." Neville closed the book. "What you need to know is-"

"Don't worry!" Naruto slammed his hands on the table and stood up proudly. "I just need to make sure that I stop whoever is coming to the Den from getting there. Seems easy. Naruto Uzumaki is on the case!"

"B-but, the people who are coming-"

"You don't need to tell me so much about these guys. If they are so scary I'd rather meet them in person then listen to their ghost stories. That seems to be the way I best operate anyway. Which way is the lake?"

"It's just east of here, close to the mountains. About a day's travel" one of the older members said to the whiskered boy.

"Got it!" Naruto started running out off the door and straight for the hills.

"W-wait! You don't have to face them! You just need to stop-"

Neville tried to reach him before he left but the young Mage was already out of his reach. He looked down to the small old man with a gob-smacked look.

"I think that words would be wasted on that young man. Better to just let him out and do his job" he said with a smile as his body was shaking. "I could see it in his eyes. Something that even if we tried to stop him, he'd just push his way through and power on."

Neville wiped his face slowly and looked to the direction the boy had already vanished to. This was all they could do now. Put their faith in the man that had been personally sent to stop the 44 Ronin.

Now all they could add to the mission was their faith and hope.

Jean-Luc turned around and was headed back to the hotel when he ran into an extremely muscular torso. Neville stumbled back and looked up at the extremely large man that had appeared behind him and his society. Him and the short wrinkled members all shared the same opinion when looking up at him.

"Wow..."

"Excuse me" the giant man said with a deep voice, raising up their request flier. "I was supposed to meet Neville-Dono here for the matter of the request?"

Jean-Luc pointed at the man in confusion. "B-but if you're here, who was that?"

**########Hunter########**

Naruto carefully walked through the forest, spotting deer and boar and all forms of wild life among the plains. He smiled at the pure untapped beauty that was so far out in the mountains that he could forget about how beautiful this world was. He continued to walk towards the crevice of the mountain until...

He froze. He sensed a sudden existence of a vast magical power appear out of thin air. And then disappear in the same instant.

Naruto turned around in shock to find nothing behind him. He looked around cautiously as he tried to pinpoint the presence of the grand magic he felt a moment ago. From underneath his cloak, he formed one of the spiked bats for defense in preparation of anything.

"You shouldn't have tried to trick them like that scoundrel."

Naruto's eyes widened before he tried to jump back from the voice behind him. A pillar of solid rock popped out of the ground and impacted into his left side. Naruto raised the bat in his left hand and guarded against the attack.

The whiskered boy was thrown a dozen feet back, skidding across the ground as he kicked up dust. He dropped the dented and broken bat and clutched his bruising side. He took a shallow breath as he stood back up and summoned his Excalibur.

He glared at the man slowly marching out of the shadows. He was a tall, extremely well-built man wearing a green jacket and skirt that went past his knees. His brow-less eyes furrowed at him as each step he took closer to Naruto felt like a huge weight pressing on his back.

Also, the man was bald.

"Who are you?" Naruto said as he brought himself into a ready stance with both hands on the grip.

"I'm the man who took this mission. And I know that you are a fraud because my guild was the one who registered for this request. I ask that you stand down before I have to restrain you by force." The man said as he got into his own stance with his fists out.

The two mages silently looked at each other, their gaze not wavering from each others form. Naruto neglected the pain in his side as he concentrated on any opening the man left. But from the sheer force of the stone pillar and the presence he emitted, he knew it wasn't going to be that easy.

Naruto dashed to the side, avoiding several large spires of rock that appeared beneath him. He skidded to a stop and watched as the man waved his hands around, making the spires form together and create what looked like a giant hand.

The massive rock twisted around and aimed for him as he started to back-flip out of range. But no matter how far he went, the hand continued to stretch farther and farther, smashing through the base of the trees.

Naruto landed and dove straight for the stone gauntlet, the rock closing its hand and making a fist. Naruto charged his feet and jumped, missing the hand by an inch as he rolled along the arm and started to dash atop it. He summoned the Kusanagi to his other hand and used Armor over his whole body.

The baldy pointed his index and middle finger at the charging blond and pointed up. Suddenly, several smaller arms started to sprout out of the first one and stopped the Fairy Tail mage's advance. The whiskered boy desperately jumped off the arm and swung on the branch of a close tree.

He hung by the branch and looked over to where the Earth Mage was waving his hands around intricately. He stopped and pointed his fingers back up to him, causing the rocks to break apart and cluster together. They bursted forth towards Naruto's position in the trees.

Naruto clicked his tongue and spun on the branch, before cutting it off the tree and kicking it at the prone Mage. As the weapon user pushed off the tree before it was shredded to timber, the elemental Mage smacked the branch out of his way.

The bald man looked up to see Naruto coming down on him with his swords over his head. He sent up a wall of earth to guard overhead as Naruto slashed against the rock, cutting into it. Before he could attempt any further digging, several more spires erupted from it, nearly clocking the boy in the chin.

Naruto jumped to behind the trees and started to run circles around the man and gathered his magic to his hands. He sent a barrage of Flying Gauntlets from all directions. But the man just batted away the attacks with his bare fists.

Naruto and the man exchanged several long range attacks and jumped in close. Naruto started to slash at the man as fast and strong as he could. But the man parried each of his blade swipes with the palm of his hand, making Naruto look at the man in wide eyed surprise at his fighting ability.

The bald man leaned back and spun on his feet, crouching down to the boy's chest and landed his elbow against Naruto's center. The Fairy Tail Mage brought his left arm between the attack and his chest and grunted at the power of his strike.

Naruto jumped back from the force and focused magic into his feet, sending two shots of concentrated power soaring at the man. The man guarded as the attack hit the back of his arms, causing him to be pushed back. He realized he was being distracted as he turned around at the last second.

Naruto's blade came an inch within piercing his neck. The Earth mage's pillar stopped short of breaking through the blond's sternum and throwing him back several miles.

They stood still, their attacks still inches away from connecting. The large man looked at him with a ferocious, unyielding gaze. Naruto did his best to match the man's look, breathing heavily from the attacks to his side and from evading his devastating stone attacks.

"You aren't going to cut my neck?"

"I really don't feel like getting my hands dirtied before I even get to start my mission. You're not going to crush me are you?"

"I believe I may have, what's the saying, 'jumped the gun' on this decision. I shall retract my pillar if you sheathe your sword. Deal?"

Naruto looked at the man quizzically. "Deal."

The men stepped away from each other and dispelled their respective attacks. Naruto let out a tight breath and started to gingerly touch his bruising left. Shit, wide range attacks and they each packed a punch (no pun intended). He was glad they ended it now before he ran out of tricks to pull.

"Are you in need of assistance?"

Naruto stood up nervously, "No! No, I'm fine. Justing making sure I didn't get my clothes dirty or anything." He would have smacked himself in the face if he didn't have a strong Mage behind him who was watching his every move.

"Hmmmm, indeed." The man turned slightly to face Naruto. "My name is Jura Neekis. I am a Mage of Lamia Scale who has taken this request. It is a pleasure to meet you." The massive man bowed deeply to the young boy.

"Hello Jura. My name is Naruto Uzumaki. I am a Mage of Fairy Tail that has also taken up this request to protect the Den of Dragons and keep the Ancient Blades safe."

"May I see some identification then?" Jura lifted up his shirt and showed a tattoo of a woman with a lower body of a serpent imbedded into him. Naruto nodded and grabbed the end of his sleeve at his right wrist, pulling it up and showing him his black fairy tattoo.

"I am sorry that I attacked you without warning such as that Naruto-Dono. But with the severity of this task, it is not improbable that a thief or spy for the Ronin would take this opportunity to gain as much information as they can to get the upper hand."

"It's fine. I faced worse things before." Naruto dusted himself off and started his trek back pass the mountains. "I'm sorry Jura-San but I must be on my way. We don't know the position of these so-called Ronin so I have to hurry."

"Wait. I wish to ask a few more questions before you-"

"I-I'm much to busy Jura-San! I need to be off!" Naruto said as he increased his stepping speed with a cold sweat running down his back.

"I've never heard of an S-Class Mage in Fairy Tail by the name of Naruto Uzumaki? Care to explain?" Naruto stopped his walk away as he froze in fear. He let out an audible gulp and made sure Jura couldn't see his face.

He was running as fast as he could, trying to kick up as much dirt as possible to keep a distance from him and the old man. But he noticed then that he couldn't feel the ground underneath his feet. He looked down to see he was hovering over the ground by a least a foot. He looked over his shoulder to see the Lamia Scale Mage holding him up by his collar like Lisanna did to Happy when he misbehaved.

"T-this isn't what it seems."

"I think you have much explaining to do Naruto-Dono."

"If you want an explanation, my senior is right behind you ready to attack." Jura looked shock as he quickly turned over his shoulder to look at the threat behind him. But saw nothing but the trees and woods.

"T-there's nothing th-" he looked back to the collar he was holding and noticed that it was lighter than before. He turned it around and looked at the empty cloak, with a note on the inside. He plucked it out...

_See ya_

He looked up to see the form of the blond already speeding over the hills. Jura yelled and chased after him, the cloak in his hands flapping around in the wind.

"Stop chasing me old man!"

"You have to go back!"

"Leave me alone you geezer!"

"I'm not a geezer! I'm only 21-years old!"

"NO ONE IS SUPPOSED TO BE BALD AT THE AGE OF TWENTY-ONE YOU FREAK!"

Naruto could have sworn that the killer intent focused on his back increased ten fold after he said that as the bald (supposedly) young adult increased his speed and almost strangled the blond boy. Naruto had never been so happy to have his speed increase with his Armor then when he was evading the death grip of Jura Neekis.

**########Hunter########**

After running for more then a few hours, Naruto and Jura had stopped to take a breather besides a running stream inside the valley of the mountains.

"*huff**huff* A-are you ready to head back?" Jura said while propping himself up on his knees.

"N-not even close..." Naruto said as he sat up against a tree.

After a moment of silent breathing between the two, Naruto's stomach started to growl in hunger. He turned his head and felt his face slightly glow in embarrassment as Jura laughed. Then, Jura also felt his belly rumble, feeling famished himself.

Naruto laughed, "Not so high and mighty now, huh?" He pushed himself up and dusted off his ass. "You can stay here and starve while you keep giving me the evil glare while I go find myself something to eat." Naruto walked over to the river bank and crouched down to look into the stream.

"Don't go thinking that I am unable to take care of my own nourishment, Naruto-Dono." Jura stood up tall and walked a few feet away from Naruto, looking into the river himself.

"Yeah, well I'd like to see you take care of your own food when you have to catch" he sent some of his magic into his left hand and fired into the river, causing dozens of fish with wings to pop out. "Flying Fish."

All of the fish started to flap their wings, flying around in circles over the two mages, causing the entire section of the forest to be shadowed. Naruto shot a smirk over towards Jura as the man narrowed his eyes, taking that as a sign of competition.

They both dashed away from each other and looked up to the soaring fish, Naruto summoning his swords and Jura raising a stone pillar. Jura tightened his fist and the pillar separated into floating rocks. He pointed towards the fish and the rocks hit every fish above him, knocking them down.

Naruto jumped up and spun through the air with his blades close to his chest. He extended them and started to slash every Pisces that came within reach, "Shredding Saber Winds!" All of the fishes' wings fell to pieces and the fish fell to the ground dead. Naruto landed in a crouch with a wide smirk on his face. "Hahaha, did you see that? If you want you can have one of-... Shit. That's a lot of dead fish."

Jura grabbed a group of branches and leaves that were lying around and placed them in a pile. He then grabbed two of the rocks and started to smash them together, making enough sparks to light the tinder. The material burst into flame and he started to roast the fish over the fire. "I'll finish these up quickly then I'll take care of the request."

Naruto was cutting the fish into raw sections and placing them apart. "Wimp! I just need the fish, don't have to bother with cooking or tenderizing. I'll finish first!"

"Not before me!"

Naruto grabbed a piece of the raw meat he had cut.

Jura pulled off a partially cooked slab from over the fire.

"ME-"

"-FIRST"

***chomp***

**########Hunter########**

***Bleeeeeegh***

"M-move over!" ***Bleeeeeegh***

Naruto pulled himself back up from where Jura pushed him and continued to empty his stomach into the river. His and Jura's barfing sounds filled the clearing as their projectile vomit stained the formerly clear water.

After a solid few minutes, they both lifted their heads with glazed over, hollow white-eyes and drool down their chins.

"T-*hurbf*" Naruto covered his mouth and swallowed what was coming back up, "That was THE most disgusting thing I have ever eaten in my entire life." He said as he groaned and crawled over to where his bag was, using it as a pillow.

Jura fell on his back, "Perhaps it wasn't so wise to see who could eat the most helpings?"

"I blame you for finishing the first helping faster."

Jura groaned again as he tried to argue but was feeling too weak.

After a moment of hearing birds chirping in the air, one of them sounding suspiciously like it was saying, "Aho...Aho..." The two mages looked over to each other.

"I have some rations and preservatives in my pack if you want to share." Naruto said with a gurgle.

"We passed some deers and boars on the way here...if you start the fire again I shall go and capture some?"

"Truce?"

"Truce."

The two men tried to reach over and shakes their hands but stopped when they felt another grumble in their stomachs.

**########Hunter########**

Naruto dug ferociously into the meat and vegetables that he had on his plate, almost crying in joy at its vast superiority to the flying fish. Jura was moaning in joy at the flavor.

After they had finished, they placed their empty plates down and sighed contently.

"Alright, now that we have a moment, would you care to explain why you are taking this request illegally?" Jura asked from across the flaming wood.

Naruto chuckled awkwardly and scratched the back of his neck. "Well, the truth is, I took this mission from the S-rank board in my guild."

"And you didn't get the permission from your guild master or higher ranks?"

"No. I doubt anyone else from my guild knows that I'm here."

"Then I should report you as quickly as possible. So why shouldn't I?" Jura left the question hang in the air as he waited for Naruto's answer.

Naruto looked at him with an unwavering gaze. "Because I need to get stronger. Even if I get punished or suspended or whatever, I need to get stronger any way I can. I need to gain it to protect my family from being hurt. And I said that I would complete this request, so if you want to stop me, you're free to try." He left that remark in the silence and matched Jura's glare.

Jura smiled and nodded his head, acknowledging his spirit. "I can't say that I approve much of stealing requests, but I've always held high regards for those that wish to gain strength for admirable reasons." He placed his hands together and bowed slightly to the boy. "I will honor your choice to take this mission, if you would be willing to help me."

Naruto smiled and bowed his head slightly in return.

"But I must say, this is quite a tough mission to have taken up."

"Are you sure? Just seems like a boundary job to me."

"But the level of difficulty is actually far more dangerous then it appears. This mission wasn't actually funded by the Archeological society, it was a cover for the Magical Kingdom to finally stop the group known as the 44 Ronin."

"Why is it so important to stop these guys?"

"Because other than being a major threat to the peace of the country, they have something that must be retrieved." Naruto looked at him with a wondering look. "The group was created only at most two years ago. It was a group that gathered primarily rogue swordsmen that traveled through Fiore. Under normal circumstances, groups like these would be treated as a mild threat, like most other dark guilds. But...their leader had something no one else had."

"Many years ago, along with the book that specialized in the Dragon mythology, there was a weapon that was discovered with it. A weapon unlike any other in existence."

Naruto leaned in to hear the story even better, Jura's stone-like face enhanced by the flickering light of the fire at night.

"The Kokuryū-Ken, Black Dragon Sword."

Naruto swallowed the lump in his throat.

"Centuries ago, at the end of a war, at the cost of hundreds of lives, the legendary black dragon flew off to never be seen again. Even after a battle with thousands of humans and dragons, that dragon was undefeated and unstoppable. But with the effort of all of them, they were able to remove a single jet black scale from its body. The scale was invulnerable, stronger and sharper then any sword or weapon that contacted against it."

"But the humans couldn't let something as valuable as a dragon scale go unchecked. So they gathered the best sword-smiths and forgers in the world. And they scorched and melted the scale in the flames of a volcano and reshaped it through the use of some of the strongest magics they could find. Over decades, the scale was reshaped and traveled through the world, being forged into a smaller and smaller shape."

"Until finally, they formed a sword. Blacker then the darkest night. Sharper then any other in existence. And stronger then any magic that was used against it. Any man who held a blade like that, believed himself to be invincible. And through the creation of a blade like that, the greed men had was shown throughout history."

Jura picked up a stick and shifted the fire in front of him, keeping it alive. "The blade gained and lost more and more masters as time went on. It was hidden for decades until it was found with that book. And over the last few years, ownership of such a weapon was argued and disputed by many. Through many faults and losses, the blade was sold to one of the wealthiest families in Fiore for the price of 500,000,000J."

"500 MILLION!" Naruto screamed as he jumped off of the make-shift seat from his pack. "T-th-that's like-like, I-I don't even know how much money that is! I could buy so much ramen with that!"

"Y-yes, it was a big surprise when it happened. Needless to say, the family Corporation of Bunce was extremely famous because of their purchase of that sword, and they became big players in the economic system of Fiore. But two years ago, the Bunce family was forced into bankruptcy and lost everything to the Heartfilia Konzern. Since then the Heartfilia Family has been receiving death threats from the remaining members of the Bunces."

"Hmmm, I think that sounds sort of familiar." Naruto said as he scratched his head, trying to remember where he had heard about such an event before.

"As all of their personal items and luxuries were being repossessed, the heir to the family legacy, Àomàn Bunce-Dono, stole the sword before it could be taken into the government's possession. The man became so obsessed with holding this overwhelming power and he killed every official that came to take back the sword. Àomàn-Dono ran away and started to gather up a group of swordsman to help gain his fortune back."

"So if this guy wants his fortune back so badly, why doesn't he just sell the sword again? I'm pretty sure there are tons of people who would kill for that thing."

"Exactly. People would kill for that sword. So if he gathered enough followers who pine for power so badly they follow a man like him, then the promise of power and fortune would intoxicate anybody. Sell the sword, he could gather a fortune. Control the sword, he could gather an empire." Jura said as he looked into the fire, "This request isn't about protecting an archeological site, its about defeating a megalomaniac before he becomes any worse."

"Naruto-Dono, that is why it is too dangerous to be a part of this mission before you are ready. These men aren't like bandits or lowly criminals, they will do whatever they have to do to get what they are after. And if we get in their way, they will make us suffer until we would beg for release. So if you have any doubts about- What are you doing?"

Naruto was smiling like a excitable child as he bounced on his chair with barely containable glee. "Huh, what did you say? I wasn't listening."

"Okay...what did you hear then?"

"I was just thinking about if I take down criminals like that, I couldn't possible be in trouble anymore. And when everyone finds out I took down a bunch of bad guys with super strong weapons" Naruto laughed through his teeth as he thought about what could happen.

_"Naruto I knew you could do it! You're the strongest!" Erza said with a giddy glee in her voice as her eyes sparkled._

_"Naruto, you are too amazing!" Mira said as she swooned at the sight of the proud blond._

_"We are not worthy! We are not worthy! Aye sir! Aye sir!" Natsu, Gray, Elfman and Happy said as they bowed before him._

_"Naruto, you have to teach me how to be that good." Gildarts said as he was close to crying, Levy and Cana clapping and using glitter poppers._

_Laxus was on his knees, completely unable to comprehend his weakness before the younger blond. "I-it's impossible! I'm supposed to be the best! How is this awesome, younger, much cooler blond so much better than me?" Before Naruto sucker punched him and sent him flying as a twinkle in the sky. Naruto propped his leg up and threw his head back as he laughed as loud as he could._

Naruto had a dreamy look on his face as he fantasized what was probably going to happen when he came back home. He shook his head around, "Sorry Jura, I didn't hear what you said?"

Jura felt a vein pulse as he took a calming breath. "I'm telling you, it is too dangerous to involve yourself in this mission. You may get hurt or worse!"

Naruto looked at Jura and frowned at him, "I know." Jura blinked at the serious tone. "I know I might get hurt. But if I can't even take a job with the possibility that I might get hurt, I may as well just stay home and wait to die. I'm not afraid of getting hurt. And if I don't want to die, I need to learn to become a better Mage. So stop trying to psych me out and live with this fact Jura," Naruto leaned back and crossed his arms together, smiling confidently.

"I'm going to help you take down the Ronin."

Jura looked at him stunned before closing his eyes and smiling with a nod. "I guess if you aren't frightened by that, then you are not someone that will falter in a time of need." He opened his eyes and reached out with his hand. "I thank you for the help Naruto-Dono."

Naruto smiled and reached out, gripping Jura's hand and shaking it, making a partnership between the two. "Also, I think you need this back. It could be useful." Jura reached behind him and pulled out Naruto's black cloak.

Naruto took his cloak back and stood up. He swung it over his shoulder and tied it up, completing his wardrobe with a confident smirk.

**########Hunter########**

_July 7 X779_

Naruto and Jura walked side by side, heading over the mountains and past a hill to finally reach the lake they aimed for. The two were an odd sight, the Earth Mage being much taller than the blond besides him. But even odder than that was that the taller Mage was seeming sheepish in front of the boy as he eyed him curiously.

"Naruto-Dono, please stop. This subject is very uncomfortable for me."

"Come on! There has to be an explanation! L-like you were experimented on as a child! Or maybe your parents dropped you in a vat of acid and you were forever scarred like that!"

"No...nothing like that...I've just always been bald..." The normally unflappable Mage said as he seemed slightly depressed from this choice of topic.

"Well okay. But I still don't believe that you could be 21 years old."

"Why not exactly?"

"Because I've heard other people say that they were young like that too, but since the last one..." Naruto looked off into the distance with a Thousand Yard Stare as he seemed to relive some horrible trauma. "I can't trust them."

"What happened exactly?"

"I-it's too much! The horrors...the fear...I'll never forget that face! The face of evil!"

(A few hundred miles away, in the Blue Pegasus Guild)

"Ma...Ma...MAAAANNNNCHOOOOOOOO!" The Perfume Mage sneezed all over his younger Mage companions.

"O-Oh God! It's Everywhere! It's In My Hair! Get It Out!" Jenny screamed as she ran around the guild, crying as she ran her hands in her hair.

"W-we-we have b-been blessed by Senpai's honor..." The blond boy said as he kept his gagging and shiver down to a minimum. "A-as men, we can't forsake such a gift."

"Hibiki...there's receiving a blessed honor from your beloved superior...and then there is being sneezed on. We just got sneezed on" the slightly tanned brunette said as he was sulking at the table, sitting across from their team leader.

He wiped his nose and gave them a sparkling smile. "Men~"

(Back to the Heroes)

Jura placed his hand in front of Naruto, stopping him in his tracks. Naruto looked up to him. "What is it?"

"I sense a mass of presences passed the hill. No..." Jura ran forward, Naruto following him as they ran up the hump of earth. They reached the apex, crouching down and looking over the scene.

As far as they could see, there was only the water from the lake. Naruto gawked at the sight of the huge body of water, second only to the even larger lake that rested behind his guild. The rising sun rejected off the water and clouded the depth of the lake.

And at the edge of the shore, there looked to be a small army pacing around. All of them were armed to the teeth with a variety of weapons. Some had spears over their shoulder. Others with pairs of axes attached to their backs. But most of the Ronin were with a single or several swords strapped to their bodies.

And at the front of the group was a man with pale skin and long, unkept black hair. He stood with a much undeserved confidence as he looked over the lake like it was his own personal possession. On his hip was a black sheathe that held what was most likely the legendary sword.

One of the men, a composed man with several large and small sword sheathes over his body, walked forward and bowed behind him. "Àomàn-Sama, are you certain that this is the location for the treasure?"

The man sighed and chuckled lightly. "Are you questioning my decisions, Réng?"

"N-no sir, I was just worried because-"

"Don't you worry about anything other then making sure no one gets in my way. The servants have to follow the word of their master, okay? Do you understand?" He said with a selfish smirk as the man stepped back and nodded his head. "Good. At least you idiots understand that much."

"Damn, are these the guys?"

"Yes. They must have been moving through the woods over night and arrived before us. Darn it." Jura said as he gripped the ground in angry disappointment. "We failed."

"It's alright. We've just got to stop them before they can-"

The legal mages stopped their conversation as they heard the Ronin go silent as a rumble shook the ground underneath them. The lake started to make waves, getting more and more violent as time went on. They all watched in amazement as the water started to separate, splitting apart like they were being pushed aside by an impossible force.

Àomàn smiled condescendingly as the water parted at his feet, and revealed a long flight of stairs that descended into the depths of the lake, a stone door at the end of it to enter the massive structure that reached from the bottom of the lake all the way to within inches of breaching the surface. The men couldn't help but stare in awe at the magnificent sight that revealed itself to them.

The former heir had already started to walk down the stairs. "What are you doing you idiots? Are you really surprised by something like this? You need to understand that anything less than a temple like this wouldn't be good enough for me to step in." He scoffed at the hateful looks the men glared into his back. He didn't care if these fools worshipped him or hated him.

All he needed was to use these fools to help him regain his empire. If they wanted to risk their lives to try and take his head...

Heh, let them try.

Jura clicked his teeth as Bunce and his men started to descend down the stairs. "We need to plan something. The temple will only open once a day so this is our only chance to stop them. If we can blindside them, then maybe we can-" he stopped when he saw Naruto stand up besides him. "Naruto-D-"

"HEY ASSHOLES!" The insult echoed through the valley, making all of the ronin stop in their tracks as they looked behind them to the figure standing atop the hill, looking down on them. Jura was right next to him, his eyes were white and his face was twitching in disbelief. "WHERE THE HELL DO YOU THINK YOU'RE GOING! YOU'VE GOT TO PASS BY US FIRST!"

"Wh-what are you doing?" Jura yelled as he jumped up beside the blond boy.

"I'm stopping them from going inside."

"Why would you reveal our position before we could plan anything first?"

"If we waited any longer, they would have gone inside, taken the swords and came back out to show them to us. Is that what you want instead? Because that is stupid."

"NARUTO-DONO!"

"Who are you guys supposed to be?" The two mages looked over to where more than forty men were staring at them tiredly. Naruto walked forward and coughed in his fist.

"Sorry, where are my manners. I AM THE GREAT HERO OF THE PEOPLE! THE MAN WHO HOLDS THE HEARTS OF ALL THE CHILDREN WITH HIM AS HE SAVES THE DAMSEL! I AM THE GREAT! THE ONE! THE ONLY! NEKO-MAN!" The whiskered boy said with an exaggerated pose. "And this is my side-kick, MAGIC HEAD!"

Jura couldn't react. His jaw was completely unhinged as the guild standing between the hovering walls of water looked at them like they were lost idiots. Àomàn just shook his head, "Kill them."

A large chunk of the Ronin pulled out their weapons and charged the men on the hill. Naruto watched as the large wave of weapon users ran towards them as seven of them headed into the temple, already out of sight. "Shit. Thought that would scare them off."

"That was the worst idea I've ever seen anyone make before. Ever...of all time. Well what shall we do now? This many will hinder us if we try to power through them, and the passage will close before we get there."

"What do you think?"

"I think one of us should stay here and deal with the Ronin while the other follows them into the temple and stops them from getting the swords. I think I should follow them in, I have more experience with closed spaced fighting and battling multiple enem-"

"Let's play Rock-Paper-Scissors!"

"Huh?"

"It's easier and takes way less time! Okay Rock, Paper, Scissors..."

Jura fumbled with his arms as Hispanics started to make the motions. "W-wait Naruto-Dono, this is too irresponsi-"

"Shoot!"

**Naruto: Paper**

**Jura: Rock**

"Yes! I win! I'll take the temple!" Running forward as Jura stared at his rock in defeat.

"N-Naruto-Dono!"

"Trust me Jura!" The spontaneous Fairy Tail Mage smiled and gave Jura a thumbs up. "I told you I would take care of this! So take down the Ronin, and I'll take the Snobby Asshole and his flunky Lackeys! Deal?"

Jura looked at him in surprise before throwing his hands down on the ground, making a pillar appear under Naruto's feet and rocketing him over the charging Ronin and to the stairs. "Fine! I put my faith in you Naruto-Dono! Don't dissapoint!"

"Aye Sir!" Naruto spun and landed on the shore, running down the straits and following the Ronin's lead toward the door. Naruto ran down the stairs as fast as he could, noticing that the water had started to comeback into place, losing its magic. Naruto tried to run faster but felt the water start to slow him down, reaching his chest as the water filled up the lake again.

Naruto was surrounded, floating in the water as he looked in every direction, noticing that the stairs were falling back into the depth and that the door was slowly closing shut. He muffled under the water as he swam as fast as he could to the rapidly closing stone doors.

He concentrated the Armor to his feet and kicked off, propelling him forward and through the slit of the closing doors. The stone closed behind him but somehow he got caught, causing him to choke and release the air he was holding in. He looked behind him...

His cloak was stuck.

Damn thing!

Damn Jura for giving it back to him!

Damn his reluctance to give up on something that made him look so much cooler!

He squirmed around in the lake water, choking and clawing at the straps around his neck. After a few moments, he finally unhooked it from around his neck and started to swim for the light on the surface. He felt his lungs constrict in pain as his sight was starting to go into tunnel vision.

Finally, Naruto's head popped out of the surface of the water, taking several quick breathes to get the much needed oxygen back into his lungs. He doggy paddled his way over to the closest patch of rock and grabbed the edge, pulling him out as he crawled forward to give him some space. He coughed up a large amount of water in his throat as he choked out gasps of air.

He fell on his back and laid there for a moment to rest as he looked up at the ceiling. Around the room there were torches that illuminated the dark and lead the way to the hallway. Naruto turned over and looked down at the wet footprints that stained the ground towards the path.

Naruto glared at that direction and pushed himself up.

**########Hunter########**

The seven men walked through the stone corridor as they neared a light that led to a large room. Each of them preparing for whatever was ahead of them. The oldest member of the group, a man with long gold hair and a spear wrapped on his back, mused to the rest of the group with a condescending tone in his voice. "I think we must be reaching close to the chamber soon. And whatever has been protecting them for so long as well. You kids ready?"

"That a challenge ol'timer Qūzūn?" A crazy eyed man said as he pulled out the large axe and pointed it at the elder man. "Cause if ya think you or any stupid monster can stand up to me, I'd love to prove you wrong!" He said as he slid the tip of the axe over his tongue.

"That's cute kid," he said as his fingers inched closer to the grip of his spear. "Shall we test this confidence Ziháo-kun?"

"Oh, oh I want to try too!" A short, young boy said as he reached to his side and pulled out the chain and sickle. Spinning it around wildly as he smiled sweetly. "I haven't gotten a chance to cut anything up since Ào-chan made us start this stupid quest!"

Which was a crime in itself since he hasn't had a chance to kill for almost a week now.

"Diyi, don't get caught up in our fight!"

"No! No! I want to play too!" The little boy argued as he swung his weapon around like a plaything before expertly spinning them back into his hands. "Anything to kill the boredom!" He jumped up and readied to attack his own team, another two members getting ready to fight as well as the spear and axe user pulled back their weapons.

Until two katanas pierced the ground by Ziháo and Qūzūn's feet and two tantō embedded themselves into the hands of the other subordinates. Finally Diyi was stopped mid-jump and held by his collar by a tall man as he used a Wakizashi to catch the chain of the Kusarigama. "Diyi-sama, don't antagonize your teammates so much. You know Ziháo-sama and Qūzūn-sama are very irritable to such things."

"Aw, Réng-chan, way to ruin the fun." The kid said as he lost all of his excitement and slumped down. The black haired man lowered the boy to his feet and walked over to the two lower members, pulling his short blades out of their hands as they cried in pain. He sheathed them into their place at his hips as he walked over to the two katanas and pulled them out, putting them back on his back.

"You got lucky this time geezer."

"Sure I did you little shit."

"Enough you idiots! I think we found something." Àomàn yelled over his shoulder as they reached a huge room with a stone door at the other end. Over the archway was a massive stone body of armor with a large bat. And riddled across the entire room's floor were skeletons and bones.

"I guess this is where we find the swords, huh?" Diyi said as he ran around the large room, picking up the skulls that rested at his feet and playing with them.

"Diyi-sama, please don't play with the dead bodies."

Ziháo looked around trying to find whatever this so called guardian was supposed to be. "Alright, so did this protector thing die or something? What do we do now?"

"We move on. Through the doors and to our prize. Hey, open the door would you?" The spear user commanded the two other lesser subordinates to pull the door open, which with reluctant swears they started to do so. After a moment, the two large doors were pulled open and a clear path was made into another shadowy hall with fire on the walls.

"All right, there you go! Can we get moving n-"

***SMASH***

All of the Ronin looked over in shock to where a giant stone bat had crushed the speaking subordinate into the ground, making a loud squish and staining the ground crimson with his blood and organs.

The stone golem above the doorway jumped down, pulling up his bat and gripped it tightly, looking towards the men that invaded its chambers. The other nameless ronin panicked and pulled out his sword, activating his Sword magic and running towards the giant sentient armor with killing intent.

The stone man just swung his bat with a mighty force and completely cleaved the upper body of the man off his legs, making another creamy spot on the wall.

The golem lifted the bat over his shoulder again and turned towards the men standing a few feet away from it. Giving them a look with its helmet-like head.

Àomàn looked at what remained of the two ronin that had tagged along and scoffed. "Damn. Guess we'll have to go with just being the 42 Ronin for a while." The golem twitched and all of the group slowly brought their hand towards their weapons.

"WHO DARES DISTURB THE DEN OF THE LEGENDARY DRAGONS! SPEAK NOW, AND MEET THE JUDGEMENT OF THE GREAT PROTECTOR, KICHIYO!" The massive, ground shaking voice bellowed as the Ronin looked up at it in shock.

Diyi looked at it with sparkling eyes, "Cool~, it talks!"

"I SAID SPEAK YOUR NAMES, MEN!"

"And it has no inside voice either." Qūzūn said as he covered his ears. Diyi pulled out his weapon and started to twirl it in excitement, Réng reaching out and stopping him from prematurely attacking.

Àomàn stepped forward, "I'm sorry Kichiyo, but me and my associates were trying to reach the temple. For academic purposes and to protect the natural treasures that reside inside-"

"NO! I SHALL NOT LET ANY PASS THIS POINT UNTIL THEY ANSWER THIS RIDDLE!" The former heir looked behind him at his followers and shrugged his shoulders.

"Okay. What is this riddle?"

"WHAT HAS FOUR LEGS IN THE EVENING, TWO IN THE DAY, AND THREE AT NIGHT?"

"Man."

...

"THAT IS CORRECT!" Kichiyo screamed as loudly as he could as the ronin in front of him clapped for their leader.

"Does that mean that we have safe passage to continue forward?"

"NO! I STILL HAVE TO KILL ANY AND ALL THAT WISH TO ENTER THE TEMPLE!"

The men looked at him in disbelief before the man with the spear walked forward. "Then what was the point of the riddle?"

"IT WAS FOR FUN! YOU WOULD BE SURPRISED HOW BORING IT IS TO BE IN THE CONFIDES OF THIS ROOM, ALONE, FOR FOUR HUNDRED YEARS WITHOUT FINDING SOME WAY TO PASS THE TIME! OH, I GOT IT, KNOCK KNOCK!"

The youngest member made his way forward. "Who's there?"

"SOME!"

"Some who?"

"SOME BITCH TRYING TO TELL YOU A FUCKING KNOCK KNOCK JOKE! AHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAH!"

"Pfft" Diyi chuckled into his hands as the older men looked down at him in disappointment. "What? That was funny."

"Move. I want to handle this guy myself." The man pulled the axe from off his back and spun it in his hand, pointing it at the golem who readjusted itself with bat in hand.

The swordsman noticed something and turned his head toward the way they came, hearing footsteps running quickly to their position. He touched his master's shoulder. "Àomàn-sama, there is someone coming from behind."

"What?"

"One of those mages made it into the temple and followed us here. He will be here in a moment. What do we do?"

The young Bunce looked at the giant golem and then towards the hall they had come from. Their choices were to either hold the defense from both sides. Or...

"Excuse me, Kichiyo?" Àomàn said as he pushed Ziháo out of his way, making the man protest in anger and almost attack him instead. "Can I ask you a quick question?"

"OF COURSE! I ALWAYS NEED TO WORK MORE ON MY MANNERS ANYWAY!"

"What if I told you that we were heroes?"

"HEROES?"

"Yes. And we were trying to stop a villain from taking these swords for their selfish purpose before it was too late."

"I WOULD THANK YOU FOR THE THOUGHT BUT I STILL NEED TO KILL ANY AND ALL THINGS THAT COME THIS WAY! EVEN IF THEY ARE HEROES OR VILLIANS!"

"Alright, but wouldn't you say that taking out the bad guys took precedent over killing the good guys?" The ancient stone armor contemplated for a minute before nodding its head. "So if there was a bad guy, you would have to kill him first before you had to come and kill us right?"

"YEAH, THAT MAKES SENSE!"

"Perfect. Because as it turns out~," he turned around and gave an open hand to where they had come from, making all of them turn in that direction.

Suddenly, from out of the shadows, a blond boy in a black shirt and long pants ran up, breathing heavily from running his way here. "Found you! Alright, stand down before-"

"We've got a villain right here."

"Say what?" Naruto had no time to question as he looked up towards the sight of a giant armor made of rock jumping over the men and holding a giant bat over his head. He panicked and dove to the side, barely escaping from being made into a pancake.

"DIE FOUL EVIL! YOUR RECKONING HAS COME!"

"Great. Then we'll just leave you two to your business. Kichiyo-San, when you are ready to kill us we will be down this hall." The men just walked down the hallway, some kid turning around and waving him goodbye.

"OKAY!"

"W-wait a sec-" Naruto tried to run forward but was cut off by the bat breaking the ground. Naruto Requip his swords and used them to guard against the low swiping bat, pushed off his feet and into the other side of the chamber, coughing up saliva.

"YOU SHALL NOT PAST VILE BOY! I, THE GREAT KICHIYO, SHALL ASSURE THAT!" The golem readied his bat to his hands and ran forward, his steps shaking the entire chamber as the boy looked up at the massive juggernaut coming his way.

"You want to get in my way too? Fine!" The boy channeled his magic over his whole body, giving his form a bright glow before it settled into a field a few inches from the skin. He gripped the swords in his hands as tightly as he could, looking up at the armor with a glare of pure anger.

Naruto ran forward, the swords running against the ground as they left sparks. Naruto jumped in the air and brought the blades down of the bat, causing sparks to fly between the steel and stone weapons.

"THEN COME ON AND BRING IT YOU BASTARD!"

**########Hunter########**

**_Done_**

**_I really wanted to get multiple chapters of this out at the same time but I'm just not that capable of keeping my mind on one thing for so long._**

**_Which, for those who need a translation, means I'm extremely lazy and have very low work commitment. I can't wait to get a job!_**

**_So yeah, mini-Erza. Anybody else thinking there's going to be a war between her and Wendy in deciding who the best Loli of the series is._**

**_That'd be funny as all hell!_**

**_Anyway...a chance for Naruto to power up a little more._**

**_Also, to help with the idea. I not saying its beatable, but if every peaceful Dragon and Dragon-Slayer worked together, then maybe they would be able to at least remove one scale from Acnologia, at least._**

**_ReadxReview_**

**_Thanks and bye_**


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